


The Price of Freedom

by ColdApril



Category: Noblesse (Manhwa)
Genre: Angst, Anna AU, Drama, M/M, Mental Abuse, Mindscape AU, OR MAYBE THEY FUCK WHAT DO I KNOW?, Physical Abuse, Slash if you squint, or maybe not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-11 15:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13526829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColdApril/pseuds/ColdApril
Summary: Frankenstein Lee is an exceptional detective and at the same time the inventor of the Device. However, tired of his work in the Central Order, Lukedonia's detective agency, he had decided to leave for good. Only one rule stands unbreakable-he must crack the case, which had put his co-workers in shame. A key to his freedom or not?





	1. The Very Last Job.

**Author's Note:**

> Made specially for #Noblesse10 event hosted by madameazzure on Tumblr!
> 
> This is going to be a multichapter fic, so after the event there will be more to come.
> 
> Not proofread and English is not my native. Thank you and I hope you will enjoy.

The door of his office slammed open, hitting against the wall, the loud sound of it vibrating through the room. Frankenstein did not have to lift the head to know, that the intruder was his sometimes (emphasis on “sometimes”) beloved co-worker. This particular time he was a pain in the ass.

“Oh, the almighty from the Floor 12 has requested his mere servant to bless him with his presence! ” Tao loudly exclaimed, while bowing deeply, his nose almost touching the cheap parquet.

“What does he want? ” Frankenstein asked, his voice full of disinterest, as he flipped through the pages, signing a document here and there.

“Dunno...I’m just the messenger, man ,” Tao replied while he got comfortable in his chair, propping his legs on desk, arms crossed behind his head, eyelids slowly closing shut.  
Frankenstein kept on reading the files, he had seen many times before, only to make sure that everything was alright in these ones. He would not want to rush something, because fixing the mistakes always took much longer time than doing stuff right in the first place. Sadly, Tao was not one to use such an approach, but thanks to the nature of their job, they don’t have to work together. However, the office...he had to share the office with the younger man. While Frankenstein was a meticulous man by nature, Tao...well, he was the definition of chaos. Files were piling on his desk, pens scattered between them. Instead of using coat rack, he kept all his wardrobe on his chair, where he was sitting.  
The blonde slowly leaned back to his chair, taking of the glasses and massaging the bridge of his nose. The very last manila folder of files was finished and it did not matter how desperately he searched for another - that was it...He even considered helping out Tao, but quickly rejected idea- it would be impossible to do any work, as his colleague would keep on interrupting him by singing all radio’s TOP 40 or occasionally showing a silly meme on his phone.  
Frankenstein sighed heavily and finally rose from his seat, his legs a little bit numb.Huh, he must have been sitting for the whole afternoon, but when he checked the clock above the door, it only showed 3.44 PM. Blood rushed to his toes, giving out the tingling sensation. He did not even manage to make three steps, when something caught his feet, almost making him to kiss the ground.

“Oh, shit, mate, I’m sor- ”  
“GOD DAMMIT, TAO! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT KEEPING THOSE WIRES AWAY FROM MY DESK?! ”

“Sorry, sorry, I forgot, sorry! ” Tao rushed to him, pushing the wires away with his foot, while Frankenstein regained his stability, brushing away non-existent dust from his clothes. He briefly glanced at Tao, who was hurringly trying to gather all the wires next to his side of the desk. The distressed look on the young man’s face immediately made Frankenstein to feel bad about his outburst.

“It’s okay. I...apologize about yelling...I...”

“No,no, it’s fine, I really should have secured them more! I really should invest in those cable holder thingies, ya know? ” Tao mused, his long fingers fidgeting with the connectors. He looked at his his co-worker and shot a smile. A smile that did not reach his eyes. A smile that morphed in on of those looks, the look , which Frankenstein saw so often, that it made him sick to his stomach. Before he could hear some variations of “Oh, you have been through so much!” or “Are you really okay? Maybe take some days off?” he turned all 180 degrees and almost ran out of the office,startling Tao, who was still sitting on the floor, clutching various kinds of cables between his slender fingers.  
It was cold and quiet in the hallway, most of employees being out on duty, while some enjoyed a cup of steaming tea in the nearby cafe. The only light was coming from the late afternoon sun, which peeked through the window at the end of the hallway. A chuckle escaped his dry lips:

“~Hah, I escaped wolf in order to meet the bear...” he silently muttered under his nose and moved towards the elevator. As he got in, his fingers quickly pressed “12” button. A metallic door in front of him slid closed. He appreciated the fact that there was no annoying elevator music chiming into his ears. The floor beneath his feet vibrated-he was going upwards. Frankenstein mentally prepared himself for the meeting.

Floor 8.  
Old man had left him alone for some time, not trying to force any kind of conversation.

Floor 9.  
Of course, he could not escape condolences from him, not even talking about the father-like squeeze on his shoulder that one day.

Floor 10.  
He hates man’s long speeches. Straightforwardness was not in his toolbox.Oh, no, instead he had to beat around the bush. 

Floor 11.  
What could he want now? All the files have already been completed, nothing particularly important was happening in his work life.

Floor 12.  
The door opened, revealing the white walls of Floor 12, which made him squint a little bit. Frankenstein was not used to such brightness, after coming from his rathole floor, where some of the detectives were developing a habit of smoking inside, substances from their cheap cigarettes tainting the walls greyish.

Frankenstein stepped out of the elevator and was met by a beautiful young woman, sitting behind the desk. He has not seen her before, he thinks, but it’s not like he was a regular on this floor. He noted that she could not be older than twenty. Another intern, he guessed. As she saw him, she rose and bowed slightly:

“Good afternoon, Mr.Lee! Mr.Landegre currently is not at his office, but he wished for you to wait inside. ” Frankenstein suppressed sigh and instead flashed a quick, polite smile at the woman. It was not her fault after all. He followed her, as she led him toward the massive oak doors, her long silver hair swaying from side to side. She opened the door, letting him into the office.

“Would you like coffee? Maybe tea or water? ”

“No, thank you, I will be fine! ” he smiled. She took it as a cue to leave, silently closing the door behind her.

And he was left alone in a bear’s cave. Great.  
The whole wall in front of him was made of pure glass, undoubtedly much clearer than one floors below. From here one could see over the land of Lukedonia, large parts of it hidden by the woods, where only those in power resided, while men like him were left in the city. It was not so bad in here, but it was not a candyland either. Especially the high crime rate here bothered him and he was not talking about small thieves.

A TV was loudly playing from his left. Something about a certain senator’s corruption case, nothing new. He took the seat at the large table half-heartedly watching the news special. All he picked out was that it was one of the case his organization was working on, as always with successful results. It’s hard to fail , when you can get inside the culprits’ heads.  
He rested his cheek on his palm, eyelids slowly dropping shut. He.Was.So.Tired. Frankenstein was sure, that he was just about to slip in some light sleep, when his nirvana was mercilessly interrupted by the door, loudly closing behind him.

 

“You are late, Frankenstein, ” A deep voice accused him.

“You can’t be late, if you actually do not know when the meeting takes place! ” Frankenstein quickly retorted, not turning around. Still, he could hear a sigh and almost feel rolling of the eyes.  
The man moved across the office, towards the window, his hands clasped behind his broad back. The beams of setting sun tinted his white suit orange, making usually cold man to radiate warmth, which weirdly contrasted with the worn out look on the man’s face, which reflected in glass. There were shadows under his eyes and the direct sunlight was not flattering him, making his wrinkles more noticeable than usual. Only then Frankenstein’s keen eye caught stray hairs on his head, which always were smoothed down with the help of a pomade, probably more worth than the shoes he was wearing.

“Your resignation letter has been looked through. The government had accepted your request. ” Oh, it was a lot sooner than Frankenstein had expected. He was sure that they would drag his case for months, just to keep him at this place. And yet, Frankenstein was convinced that there was more to it.

“I only need to sign it. ” ~Aha, there it is!  
“Where is the problem? Should I lend you my pen or you would like to sign it with my blood? ” Frankenstein asked, not bothering to hide the cheek. Landegre finally turned his head and for the first time really looked at him:

“You are such a valued part of Central Order. If you had asked for promotion, you would have gotten it immediately. No doubt- ”

“Gejutel, stop! Nostalgia is not your colour.” Frankenstein quickly interrupted older man, before he entered into his “inspirational speech” mode, which he then could escape only via suicide or homicide.  
Gejutel really went silent, his gaze focused on one of his bookshelves, a frown forming on his face. He drew a sharp breath, his deep red eyes sharp once again:

“I need a favour. ” He simply said, but Frankenstein felt, that it came out after a long internal struggle, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

“If you do it, then my signature is yours, I promise.” Hmm, old man was trying to bargain with him? Let’s see…

“What do you need me to do? ” Gejutel turned his whole body away from the window and came to sit at the opposite of Frankenstein, his elbows on the desk, fingers clasped together. He slightly leaned forward, towards the blonde, like those conspiracy theorists, who were about to drop some juicy fact. 

“There is a case, which requires a viewer...” Really, this man…

“And? We have dozens of them.”

“I sent them all, but they could not see anything...” 

“How is that possible? Is equipment broken?”

“What? Ah, no, no, the Device is fine, ” Gejutel said, shaking his head, while his hand took out a whiskey bottle from his drawer. Well, that was unexpected- Landegre was not the type of guy, who would drink at the work, so it must be nerves, Frankenstein guessed. What had shook him so much?

“Would you like some? ” the old man asked, snapping him out of his musings.

“Ah, no, thank you, I’m fine! ” Besides he was driving, so it was a hard pass to that.

“Good for you. ” Gejutel said, while he proceeded pouring the golden liquid into his glass and then downing it all in one gulp. Holy shit. Frankenstein hated to say that, but he actually would love to have a drinking contest between them, since no one here was able to hold the alcohol like he did.

“Look, the main problem here is that no one could access the memories here. It’s only a white fog. Some claimed that they were able to hear something, but it is not enough for us! ”

“ That really is an exceptional case here, but what makes you so sure that I would be the right one for it? ”

Gejutel did not respond, only looked at the bottom of his glass, like trying to fish out a proper reply here:

“As an inventor of the Device, I’m sure you would be able to find the truth, Frankenstein,” man said, twirling the glass, remaining drops of whiskey dancing in it.

“Can I ask you something? ” Gejutel lifted his gaze, mildly interested:

“Of course...”

“Is it personal? ” The gaze dropped back to the glass and once again he was trying to see the answer in the whiskey:

“Yes, but it does not affect me directly...”

“And who does it affect? ” Frankenstein did not relent.

“A good friend of mine... You actually know him...” Gejutel briefly glance at Frankenstein, who only lifted an eyebrow at that.

“It’s Lord...”

“OH, FUCK NO, I AM NOT HAVING A SESSION WITH THAT LUNATIC! OH, HELL-”

“FRANKENSTEIN, CALM YOURSELF, IT’S NOT HIM! ” Gejutel yelled back, jumping from his seat, veins bulging on his neck. He breathed in and out for some moments and then continued, much quietly:  
“ You will have to interview him, yes, but the session is for his nephew...”

“A nephew? Wait, was not he dead? ” A sadness flashed across Gejutel’s eyes and he quickly took out the bottle and filled the glass.

“There is other one, the deceased’s brother. Only the closest ones now about him, since he was not into politics and didn’t show up in the newspapers headlines.”

“So, he is the culprit? ” And, there goes the glass, empty again. Gejutel wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, not caring about etiquette:

“Not guilty till proven,” he whispered, more to himself than Frankenstein. The silence that followed afterwards did not lessen the overall awkwardness, so Frankenstein just clenched his teeth and:

“Where is the file? ” That startled Gejutel, the haze of booze already slowing down neurons in his brain:

“I’m sorry?”

“I need the full information of the subject. Medical files, criminal records, of course, the list of people I should interview. You know the drill, old man. ” 

“Y-you agree?” Gejutel looked at him wide eyed, still not believing in him. Frankenstein laughed:

“Do I have a choice? And beside that, the case seems interesting...” Frankenstein admitted. He couldn’t care less about the rich people problems, but he needed that damned signature. So be it…

“I will make my secretary to send all the papers to your office! ”

“Alright, so I will go back to the work! ” Frankenstein rose from his seat, relieved that the conversation was coming to an end. 

“...Thank you...”

“Don’t mention it! ” Frankenstein quickly dismissed him with a wave of his hand. When he hand reached the doorknob, barely a whisper, distressed came out of his employer:

“I have known him all my life. He must be innocent! He is!”

“I will do my best to rest your mind, but...I can’t promise anything...”. The door opened and closed and he was gone.


	2. Silence of the Lamb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay - university keeps kicking my ass and I also deleted like a half of this chapter. A big round of applause to the Writer's block -it likes longs walks on the beach, free food and not allowing me to write a word.

     To say that he was mildly irritated would be a huge understatement.For the past half hour he was moving forwards with 21 miles per hour and still there was no sign of his destination. Only trees, grass and a road which had yet to see tax payers money. The continuing assault was harassing his lower back mercilessly. Thank God he had a health insurance! 

 

     His fingers impatiently tapped the steering wheel as he drove through another sharp curve. Still, no mansion  was seen  . Actually, he barely saw anything - a thick fog stood like a wall, surprises hiding behind it, in it. The mist lurked all around him, it’s whiteness forming a dull pain in his eyes, which travelled to the back of his head, pulsing in the same beat as his heart. 

 

“ _It really is not the right time for this_ ,” Frankenstein thought, as he reached towards the glove compartment, not diverting his eyes away from the road. He opened it, his hand blindly trying to find the needed object.

 

“Where is it? I swear, if I fucking  misse-  Aha!”, finally his fingers skimmed over the tiny pill bottle. He quickly popped open its lid with his thumb and practically drank the aspirin, swallowing it dry. Frankenstein already started to feel the nasty burn in his throat as a result, but still it was better than the expanding pressure in his head. All those inconveniences finding the very best time to visit him. 

 

     He regretted the promise he gave to  Gejutel  . He could have said “  _no_ ”, he could have said it in at least twelve different languages,accompanying it with one finger salute and yet, as an explorer,as an inventor, and, foremost, as a detective he  was intrigued  . Frankenstein allowed curiosity to take over him, allowed it to beckon with its index finger, luring him into unknown, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. And for what? To  sate  his thirst for more knowledge, to feed his ego. While Frankenstein knew that he was intelligence and ambitiousness easily surpassed everyone else’s, he was not one of those who stroked themselves at the mere thought of it. He was aware of his mental and, no secret, physical advantages, however detective always remained relatively humble about them - boasting would not bring him any joy, especially now. 

 

     The road before him suddenly started to clear out, the trees besides it reduced themselves to mere bushes, gradually disappearing completely, revealing a kept lawn underneath them. Iron gates emerged from the fog, closed, prohibiting him from entering. He could not see much behind them. Frankenstein stopped his black sedan in front of them. A quick look upwards and there it was - a surveillance camera. The blonde pressed a button to his left, rolling down the window. Cold October air entered car’s salon, making Frankenstein’s breath visible to the world. He took his hand of the wheel and reached into his pocket and fished out his badge. Putting his arm out the window, he raised the object towards the camera. A breath. Two breaths. A click and the gates slowly creaked open. Frankenstein closed the window, trying not to catch the cold and put his car in gear, slowly entering the territory. As he moved forwards, in the rear mirror he saw the rusty gate closing immediately, thus capturing him.

     The driveway was a welcome blessing to his back. He relaxed in his seat, laid back a bit, enjoying the smooth sail. Countless  topiaries  passed by, shaped to a meticulous perfection. Gardener’s paycheck  must be  a juicy one. 

     The mist had started to lose its density, when he finally saw a silhouette of a building.The size of it was intimidating, shadow of it casting over him. Frankenstein suddenly felt an uneasiness within him.

 

     Frankenstein parked his car behind a brown Bentley (of course it had  to be  a Bentley) and turned car’s engine off. From the corner of his eye he saw a figure standing on the top of the stairs, next to the entrance. He checked the watch on his wrist -  _8:58_. He was not late then, at least.

 

     With his right hand he took the bag from the passenger’s seat, while his left one discreetly skimmed over his holster, checking if the gun was at its place. He briefly contemplated leaving it in his car, but quickly dismissed the idea. It would not be very smart to leave a firearm unattended.

 

     He stepped outside, his black  oxfords  meeting the moist pavement. A breeze tousled his golden locks, the chill of it biting into his cheeks, painting its pale canvas light pink. He turned his coat collar up as he advanced towards the man. He was tall with his blonde, straight hair reaching past his waist. He, just like Frankenstein,  was dressed  in black, only the golden emblem of  Lukedonia  on his chest differentiated them. No doubt, it was the Lord himself. The man greeted Frankenstein with a smile and a firm handshake: 

 

“Welcome, Detective Lee! I was expecting you.”

 

“Thank you, Lord...I really do hope that the wait was not a long one.”

 

“I hardly doubt that it is even over, Detective... ”, Lord grimaced and immediately cleared his throat, ”shall we? ”, he said as he gestured towards the massive oak door. Frankenstein nodded and followed the man inside. Meeting Lord was not so unbearable as he thought it would be, but Frankenstein was certain that he had  to be  thankful for the unfortunate circumstances. Maybe thankful was not the right word… 

 

     They stepped inside the foyer and Frankenstein was instantly blinded. It was too much. White marble floor, white walls, even the grand staircase was white, only its railings made of dark,unpainted iron, curled into spirals. Elegant. And familiar ,as he eyes started to adjust. Frankenstein had already seen it all. No, he has not been here before and also it was not a case of a déjà vu. The pictures. A lot of them were taken of this place and none of them indulged into aesthetical pleasures. Frankenstein could easily imagine a black haired man lying on the floor in a pool of blood and debris from broken railings as his colleagues from the law enforcement were collecting evidence. The flashing of an camera, sound of shutter closing and opening, blood already dried on the victim’s face. His eyes were wide open, but he could no longer see. An immediate death. A merciful death one might say.

 

“This way, please,” a blink and Frankenstein  was dragged  back to the reality. The body was gone and so was the blood. Clean and neat. 

The Lord had led him to the living room, seating him into a leather armchair.

 

“Would you like a coffee or tea, perhaps?” Frankenstein really  was tempted  for an another cup of  scolding black coffee, no sugar and milk, thank you very much. It would have been wonderful for his sore throat, still burning from the aspirin, but it would tie him down, force him to stay here longer than needed. He politely declined. 

 

“As you know I still have to ask you some questions. You probably had answered most of them already in previous meetings, so I apologize for repeating it all, ” a fabricated note of remorse seeped into his voice. He was not sorry at all. Technically, Frankenstein did not need to do this - he had all the protocols and notes from his predecessors, yet he still insisted on redoing the interview. Even if the answers would be the same, he could not deny himself of experiencing all the nonverbal factors - body language, pitch of voice, emotions. Important aspects of life as  an detective  . Dismissing them would mean stripping away his title, leaving a simple man with a notepad and pen. And Frankenstein, by all means, was not a simple man. 

 

“Yes, yes, of course! ” Lord answered and sat across him. Frankenstein noticed that he tried to make himself look eager to help, but under the layers of pretense he saw just a tired man, carrying all the world’s responsibilities on his shoulders. Even if it was not the truth, it did not change the way the Lord felt.

 

“Alright...so what can you tell me about the victim? ” _The victim._ Never call them by their names, distance them from their loving ones. It helped conversation  to be void of any emotions, leaving only clear facts. No need for a useless sentiment, which only made the tissues wet. Yet, Frankenstein believed that the leader of their community could keep his eyes dry long enough.

     Lord drew a jagged breath, eyes focused on the coffee table’s corner:

 

“...I-I...he...was a cunning, young man. A bit arrogant, if you ask me, but he was a loving person. Especially towards his...little brother...He is only four years older than him, but he really cared for him and became extremely protective after the deaths of their parents.” Ah, yes,Frankenstein had read about the accident seven years ago.  Nothing  unordinary  , but nonetheless  traumatizing  . Frankenstein crossed his legs, as he scribbled down some notes. 

 

“Did they have any arguments? ” Lord furrowed his brows, still deeply focused on the coffee table like he could squeeze out the answer from it.

 

“...I don’t think so. At least I haven’t heard of such problems...however...” Frankenstein stopped writing and raised his eyes:

 

“Yes?”

 

“They did have different political views, but that could not be the reason,” Lord nervously chuckled, briefly glancing at Frankenstein, smile already erased from his face “Or could it?”

 

“Everything is possible. Please, proceed.” It would not be the first time, when contrasting ideologies would result in a coffin for one and lethal injection for other.

 

“As you know, Detective Lee, my eldest nephew actively participated in our meetings, replacing his father. However, he chose to join the Opposition, which had...more radical ideas than our party. ” Pfft, radical...More like medieval, but Frankenstein kept his mouth shut. This situation required him to stay  unbiased  , no matter how hard it seemed  to be  . 

 

“Raizel...was not pleased. I think...I think he  was disappointed  in his brother.” 

 

“Disappointed enough to kill? ” The look in Lord’s eyes finally fired up. Good. Riling them up usually helped them to spill out some more information, especially the one , which was never meant  to be  told. Frankenstein could almost hear the clenching of fists. Lord breathed in deeply, before gritting out his answer: 

 

“No. I. Don’t. Think. So.” _Think._ A word used a bit too much. Wouldn’t such a close standing relative know stuff about his nephews, instead of assuming?

“And how about your relationship with the brothers? I got a feeling that you weren’t really involved in their lives.” Low blow, Frankenstein, low blow.

 

“Well, there was really no need for it,” the Lord scratched his head, suddenly looking rather uncomfortable, “I mean, they had their parents and by their deaths Raizel’s brother was legally an adult and could take care of his brother. Of course, they could always rely on me, but they were really mature. To be honest, sometime it felt like I was the childish one...”

 

“Still, tell me, how would you rate Raizel’s mental health?” That earned him a raise of an eyebrow and a deep sigh.

 

“Right, you have  those  files...”

 

“My colleagues, who were here before me also had them.”

 

“But no one of them bothered to ask for my opinion.” Frankenstein absent-mindedly tapped his notebook with the pen. He  was disappointed  in his co-workers  \- how  could all of them,  thirty six  in total, not including him, managed to  halfass  this investigation so brilliantly? If not of them, Frankenstein could have spent this moment in some place not so depressing as this one. Cemetery, perhaps, or morgue. Anywhere, but here. 

 

“A penny for your thoughts?”

 

“He was a quiet kid who grew up to become a quiet adult. He was not very talkative, but he was a good listener. A kind soul.”

 

“A kind soul, which  was accused  of stabbing his roommate while in college.” 

 

“And he remained accused. There were no evidence against him, only his roommate’s words, which, probably were a product of a drunk student’s imagination.”

 

“After that  Raizel  was pulled out of the college, I believe?” 

 

“Yes. His brother decided that it would be more safe for him. Truly unfortunate, because  Raizel  already had made some friends and acquaintances, yet we had to strip him away from them for his own safety. ” And with that Frankenstein jotted down last words and promptly slammed his notebook closed. A quick glance to his watch -  _9:32._ He stood up and so did Lord. A handshake.

 

“Thank you very much for your  assistance  , some of it might be crucial in this investigation! ” A pat on Lord’s head for being such a good boy. Frankenstein barely swallowed the chuckle. 

 

“My pleasure. Anything to sort out this...mess.”

 

“Well then, this means that it’s the time for me to  interrogate  your nephew.” 

 

“Yes, yes, of course. Follow me.” 

     Back in the foyer and up the stairs. On their way up Lord informed him about safety precautions  -he  and the suspect  will be monitored  . If anything, then there will be guards in the room next to them. The room, where the session will take place, is and must stay locked. They reached the third and last floor, if one does not count the attic. They turned to their left and moved forwards between the wall and the railings, which attracted Frankenstein’s attention. Most of them were old, with a layer of oxide, but one of them in the middle stood out - iron on it was freshly new and so was the screws, which held the construction in its place. 

 

“We changed all the screws. A lot of them were pretty rusted. I would have changed the railings, too, but I guess this was not the right time for strangers to swarm this place and cause a ruckus.” Frankenstein nodded and moved closer to them. He looked over the edge - a long fall, indeed, 25 or even all 30 foot. While not impossible to survive, still can cause some serious injuries. Injuries, which did not matter if you fall head first, like in this case. Behind his back he heard jingling of keys and turned around. Lord already held a rather large key between his slender fingers observing it. He lifted his gaze, which was a mix of hope and desperation.

 

“Gejutel said that you are the best one.”

 

“Really? He is flattering me.”

 

“He also said that you invented that thing.”

 

“The Device,” Frankenstein corrected him.

 

“My apologies. But ,Mr. Lee, will you be able to help my nephew? ”

 

“It depends of what your definition of _“help”_ is. However, there is only one way to find it out, am I right? ”

 

“Yes, yes, indeed,” and with that they moved til both of them were in front of the very last wooden doors. Lord put the key in the lock, his hands slightly shaking, and turned it once, twice, thrice. A click. He put his hand on the handle and gave Frankenstein one last look over his shoulder, before he pushed the door open.

 

“Raizel, you have a guest!”


	3. Let's begin...Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes a superlate and supershort chapter, in which I teach you stuff about brainwaves, the stuff I just learned.Enjoy!

The young man in front of him was and ,at the same time, was not the man from the picture, which was deeply tucked between the case file’s pages. The eyes ,that once might have shined like a freshly washed out amber, when met by the sun, have become dull, pupils almost completely hiding irises, expanded from the lack of lightning. Dark circles under his eyes contrasted with the sickly white skin and so did the raven black locks of his hair, which reached a little past his chin. Only the lips, dry and chapped, slightly bleeding from the cracks, brought some colour in this somewhat greyscale picture.In all seriousness - everything was monochrome here-white walls, black oak floor, furniture from the same material. The sheets on a queen sized bed were white, just like the lace curtains, which covered the only window in the room.  Next to it was a huge black desk, where the young man was sitting at. There was not anything on it, only a single piece of a white paper. _A drawing,_ Frankenstein deduced as he saw a graphite pencil between the man’s fingers.

 

“Raizel, this is Detective Lee whom I told you about! ” Lord’s nephew observed Frankenstein for a moment, before he gave a little nod. Frankenstein gave a nod in return.

 

“Thank you, but for now I would like to have a word with him. Alone.” And with that he dismissed Lord, who gave a quick,encouraging smile to his nephew, before he disappeared behind the doors.They were left alone. Frankenstein gestured towards the chair, next to the desk:

 

“May I have a seat?” Raizel glanced at the chair and then back at him and nodded once more. Frankenstein sat down, placing his bag at his feet. The younger man at that time had diverted his attention back to his drawing, applying quick, confident strokes, then some lighter ones. Frankenstein saw, that he did not have an eraser, only a pencil sharpener. Not the one, which looks like a knife, but one of those, where you had to put the pencil in and twist it. Frankenstein used to love those ones back in elementary school, when he always tried to make those satisfying spiral shavings. Like perfectly peeling a tangerine on a Christmas Eve.

 

“What are you drawing?” Raizel put down the pencil and turned the drawing around, so Frankenstein could see. It was a bird, possibly arobin sitting on a cherry blossom branch. Frankenstein was impressed - it seemed more like a black and white photo than an artwork. Details were remarkable. Raizel had paid attention to every single feather, to every bump on the bird’s legs. The shadows on cherry blossoms were soft, smudged most likely.

 

“I noticed that you don’t have an eraser. Did you draw this all on the first try?”

 

“...Yes,” a quiet baritone hesitantly answered him, “if I had one, I would not be able to learn from my mistakes.” Huh,interesting...

 

“Art is subjective. There is a possibility, that someone would call your drawing ‘ _a true pinnacle of a graphic art_ ’, while someone would have preferred a less detailed version, an impressionism, perhaps. ”

 

“For me this is the right version...”

 

“Why?” Frankenstein inquired. While Raizel was not very talkative, he could not help but dive deeper into conversation. Raizel was...interesting.

 

“...because my brother told me so...” with that Raizel took back his drawing and proceeded adding more details, making the real more real. Apparently, Raizel was heavily shaped by his brother. Not surprising - a lot of siblings were influenced by their elder ones, a subconscious desire to please, to be accepted in “big boy club”.Raizel was deeply focused on his paper, as if Frankenstein was not even here. He could not blame him - Frankenstein accidentally had probed a wound, a fresh one, barely healed. No wonder why Raizel crawled back to his shell. Frankenstein sighed - he was doing so well…

 

“You must have guessed what is going to happen today?” No answer.

“I am sure that you already know the protocol, don’t you? ” This time Raizel raised his gaze. He carefully took his drawing and put it in one of his drawers, along with the pencil. Once the desk was empty, Frankenstein reached towards his bag. Opening it, he took out his laptop and placed it on the desk. While it was booting up, he carefully took out the Device and placed it next to the laptop. He saw Raizel curiously inspecting it.

 

“This one is different.” Yes, Frankenstein had made some adjustments. While other detectives had the old, original version of the Device, a box with two frequency meters in it, Frankenstein had replaced them with two metronomes instead.

 

“That’s right. I customized mine to enhance the synchronization of two different brain waves. When electrodes will be attached to our heads, this metronome ” Frankenstein pointed at the one closest to him, “will move at the same frequency as mine, while yours,”he pointed at the other one, ” will move at your brain’s frequency. ”

 

“How is that different from the frequency meters? ” Frankenstein smiled. It was unusual for him to get such questions. No one cared about how his inventions works. They only cared about the result. Frankenstein could not help, but become a little bit excited.

 

“It is practically the same thing, only the catch is in the sound! ” Raizel slightly frowned, obviously thinking.The sleeping teacher inside Frankenstein suddenly woke up.

 

“Let me explain! For me to access your memories, we both need to induce theta brain waves. My colleagues probably told you about them.”

 

“4 to 8 hertzs.”

 

“Exactly! In your previous sessions you and detective both had to try to relax yourselves in order to achieve the same frequency. While detectives have learned the proper meditation techniques, for a simple civilian it’s hard to relax and reduce the anxiety levels.” Frankenstein vaguely remembered his other sessions. It was almost impossible to calm his interviewees down, especially the younger ones. That’s why Tao was the one from their department to deal with kids - he was particularly good at it.

 

“That’s why I added the metronomes.I will be the one meditating and slowing down my metronome, while you will focus on its rhythm, thus slowing down yours. It should make it more easier for you.” With a tap on his mousepad he opened the needed software, which would record their session and also monitor their vitals. He took a cable from his bag and put it in laptop’s USB port, while the other end went into the Device. Then he took out the electrodes kit. Opening it Frankenstein took out a tiny tube of gel, some cotton pads, medical tapes and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. He opened it and wettened the pad with it.

 

“May I?” A nod. Frankenstein reached across the table, carefully brushed away Raizel’s hair from his temples and tenderly rubbed them with the pad. Then he opened the tube and squeezed out the tiniest amount of gel on his finger. He dabbed it on each side of Raizel’s head. Satisfied, he finally took out a pair of electrodes and placed them right on the gel and secured them with white tapes. The ends of the wires he connected to the device. Lastly, who took out a bracelet shaped device, which would keep the track of heart rate, blood pressure and temperature. He tried to fasten the bracelet on Raizel’s wrist, but it was too thin, so he punched a new hole in the leather belt, then tightly securing it. A one more wire to connect it to the Device. When it was done, he did the same thing to himself.

Frankenstein turned of both bracelets and then pressed some keys on his laptop, so the software would be already running, before the Device is on. For now, no information showed up, but it was about to change.

 

“Alright, I’m going to turn it on. At the start it may give out weird sounds, but do not worry - it is completely normal.” With a press of a button he started it up. Immediately, their vitals showed up on his laptop’s screen, accompanied with two pairs of frantic ticks. While his one was quite normal, mere 1320 ticks per minute, Raizel’s was almost twice as fast, suggesting that he was either excited or suffering from high anxiety levels. Probably, both. At least his blood pressure was doing pretty fine. His heart was having around 90 contractions per minute, which was a little over the norm. His body temperature was little bit under the average, but Frankenstein ignored it - body heat, measured on wrists or feet, is not an accurate representation of the real situation. He looked at the Raizel, to see him warily watching his metronome.

 

“You are doing great, but now let’s bring those numbers down, shall we? ” Frankenstein reassured, lightly smiling, and placed his hands on the desk, turning palms upwards. Raizel slowly placed his hands on Frankenstein’s, who held onto them, lightly. He heard a light beep, which indicated an increasing heart rate. He did not check, whose it was. Raizel’s slender fingers in his grasp were ice cold, so he instinctually rubbed them with his thumbs, trying to warm them up. The physical contact was not necessary, but it helped to ground the subject, bringing them back to reality, when it was needed.

 

“Listen to my metronome. Ignore yours. You only hear mine. Nothing else matters. Keep looking in my eyes. You don’t have to see, just look. ” Frankenstein hoped that his deep voice would soothe him enough, as he himself started to zone out.Not even a minute passed, when Raizel’s face in front of him, started to morph. His cranberry coloured eyes had melted, like those clocks in Dali’s _Persistence of Memory_. Two bloody patches in an alabaster skin, bleeding down the cheeks like tears. His mouth had curled into a sinister smile, showing sharp, white canines. _Like a jack-o’-lantern._ Frankenstein had thought, remembering that Halloween is just around the corner. No, no thinking!

His vision has finally lost all of its focus, only patches of light were dancing around.Sounds around him became more and more muffled.Is it rain, that he is hearing, drops of it hitting the windowsill? Or are the floorboards creaking up in the attic, where wind howls through the cracks?

All of his senses were flickering on and off like a broken lightbulb,occasionally cutting him away from the reality,plunging him into darkness. They were getting closer...

 

*********************************************************************************************

 

_Ticktockticktockticktockticktockticktockticktockticktockticktockticktock._

 

            The pendulum of his metronome was vibrating, the pace so rapid, that it was almost impossible to isolate individual ticks.

 

            _Ticktock-tick-tock-ticktockticktock-tick-tock-ticktockticktock-tick-tock-ticktockticktock._

 

            He tried to focus on the second rhythm, which steadily decreased as the time went on.

 

_Ticktock-tick-tock-tick-tock-ticktock-tick-tock-tick-tock-ticktock-tick-tock-tick-tock-ticktock._

 

            The man had sapphires for eyes.The blue within them warmed him. He was drowning.

 

            _Ticktock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-ticktockticktock-tick-tock-tick-tock._

 

            The man’s hands were pleasantly warm. Not like those other hands, which sometimes were too sweaty, sometimes too dry. Sometimes they held his hands too strongly, painfully squishing his fingers together.  

 

            _Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock._

 

            “Think about your very first memory.”

 

             A familiar scent of freshly cut grass entered his nose. He felt his cheeks heating up under the kiss of the sun. A light breeze tossled his hair.

 

            “Raizel, move, we are going to be late!”

 

             “RAIZEL!”

 

             “FATHER IS WAITING FOR US! MOVE, YOU LITTLE RAT!”

 

              His forearm started to hurt...

 

              “Let’s begin...now”

 

              His eyes rolled back in his head.

 


	4. Buddy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit longer chapter this time.  
> Max or Maximilian is M21 btw and he is Russian,here!  
> Sorry about this chapter-I edited it,while being drunk,goodbye!
> 
> Translations  
> *Вау,какие люди!- Wow,look who's here! (Literal translation-Wow,what people!)

      Frankenstein was sitting on his apartment floor, various items and boxes scattered around him. It was approximately around 4 AM in the morning and the sun won’t rise for about three hours. The living room was dimly lit by a single floor lamp, the bulb in it old, flickering occasionally. Music played on his phone, mostly stuff from Caravan Palace. He didn’t really pay attention to it as his eyes were focused on the book in his hands, its cover a little shabby. “The Green Mile”. It was and still is his favourite book. Frankenstein used to reread it countless times, especially in season like this, when winds howled and rain was hitting against the windows. Curling up in his armchair, cup of tea, steaming next to him. He could be there, with characters, empathising with them, immersing into their world, escaping his. Even if it was for a moment.

      He turned it around, lightly sliding his fingers across it. If one does not count the separate volumes, which came earlier, it was one of the very first editions, hard to get. Frankenstein had found the book back in the days, when he was a young boy and lived in Geneva. He and mother had gone to their local library to get their weekly dose of reading material. The librarian, an elderly woman, always greeted them warmly, as they both were regulars there. They had developed sort of a friendship - she always kept the newest books hidden, so they could get them first. And his mother...his mother always brought her expensive packs of coffee, straight from the Germany.

      That one visit was no different than the others. The librarian gave them both a wink, as she reached behind the counter and pulled out some books. Most of them were given to his mother, as the one, a little bit thicker one was presented to him:

 

      “I think you would like this one, buddy! Even my son read it!”

 

      His mother, however rolled her eyes, and clicked her tongue in disapproval:

 

      “Eh, King and his nightmares! Honey, how can you read them?”

 

      Little Frankenstein had held the book more tightly, eyes glistening with excitement. He could not wait!

 

      Frankenstein, still sitting on the floor, opened the book. On the very first page, right at the upper left corner a text was written, lightly, probably with a soft graphite pencil in order not to accidentally ruin the fragile paper. _To my little buddy._ The old librarian had given this book to him permanently years later as the city had decided to close the library for good. She was supposed to distribute the stock between the remaining libraries, but she knew that they already had most of them and the copies would have been thrown away. Frankenstein smiled fondly - it was the last time he saw her. Her hands were already shaking as she handed over the novel to him - Parkinson’s disease, most likely. She could barely smile. Mother always inquired about her health and the librarian always happily answered, that she was fine and dandy. But this time she was not... She had patted his head, with hand so rigid, smoothing his golden locks. And then she had turned to his mother and slowly said:

 

      “It’s bad, Caroline, it is really bad. I might not see the lilacs blooming...” And she didn’t.

 

      Frankenstein sighed and put the book in the box to his left and moved over to the next items. Most of them were tossed in other boxes, meant for charity or simply a dumpster. Had to keep his belongings as minimalistic as possible. He felt a dull tingling in his right leg, so he shifted slightly, freeing the nerves from pressure. Detective checked his watch - only 4:48 AM. He was tired, but knew that sleep won’t come easy this night. Might as well keep going... He reached over the next item, a flat square packaging, it seemed. Further inspecting it, he found out that he was holding a cardboard sleeve, meant for vinyl records. Frankenstein frowned - he did not recall owning something like this, so he carefully slid his thumb and index finger, catching the record between them, carefully, not to scratch it. Oh! It was Kaleo! He loved that band, but he also knew someone else, who probably loved them even more and owned this record. Max had brought it along him, as they (and with “they” he meant Tao) had decided to celebrate Frankenstein’s birthday. Ironically, it almost became his deathday - the amount of alcohol they consumed that day would be enough to knock out a horse. Frankenstein shivered, remembering the horrible hangover he had after that. The worst part of all it was, that within their company, he was the only one so wasted, that he could barely keep upright. To this day he sometimes still wondered, how Tao had managed to do that. That little shit probably had mixed in some kind of moonshine, while he wasn’t looking!

      Somehow they had ended up in Frankenstein’s apartment, holding onto each other, while Max was fooling around with his record player. He must have forgotten the record at his place after that. Possibly, he does not even remember buying it. Frankenstein slid it back into the package and put it aside - he will have to go by the morgue today.

      He was done, but it was still too early to go to his office. As his mind was coming back from the memory lane, he started to feel the burn. A phantom pain on his right forearm ( _MOVE, YOU LITTLE RAT!_ ). Fingertips were almost touching that part, no different from the other skin. He shaked his head and checked his watch again. 5:32 AM. Frankenstein slowly blinked - almost an hour had already passed. He could close one of his eyes for a moment, but there was no guarantee that he could fall asleep. The shower, it is...

 

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

      The scoldingly hot water had helped to relax his muscles, especially the ones in the back. Frankenstein took the towel and dried his hair softly. Patting, not rubbing. His eyes met the ones in the mirror - signs of a sleepless night were already present. While the circles under his eyes were not so dark as one would expect, the redness was more than noticeable. His skin was also a lot paler than usual.

      He heard a beep in the living room. Frankenstein sighed, as he could almost effortlessly predict what it was. He loosely tied the towel around his waist and stepped out of the bathroom. His phone was laying on the couch, the LED light blinking furiously. He quickly unblocked it and immediately was met with an eye blinding home screen. Squinting he opened the message.

 

_At my office._

      ~Gejutel

 

      Frankenstein smirked. Landegre-always so elaborate. And yet, he did not mention when Frankenstein was supposed to show himself. Excellent.

He was about to toss his phone back to the couch, when he noticed a one more notification. It was his calendar. He opened it. He stared. And stared. And stared…

 

      “FUCK!”

 

********************************************************************************************************************************************

 

      By the time he arrived at the main building, most of the employees had already filled the parking lot. Thankfully, Frankenstein had his own spot ever since he started to work for Central Order. He really could not imagine himself fighting with some kind of a moron over a grey concrete. Especially in this morning. Certainly the worst one in this week, month and, possibly, year. Turning off the car’s engine, he leaned back in the driver’s seat, sliding palms down his face. A loud exhale. Which one of all the messes should he deal with first? Starting with the worst one? It’s an option - getting less and less annoyed as the day goes by. Or vice versa? Coroners leave early, so....

      Frankenstein grabbed the bag, with vinyl record in it and stepped out of the vehicle. A couple of raindrops were falling from the sky, clinging to his coat and hair. Some passers-by were already opening umbrellas, trying to avoid the wetness. Frankenstein quickly moved towards the entrance, mostly trying not to run into a familiar face.

      Vestibule was practically empty, since most of the staff were already busy filling papers or resting their asses in meetings. Only the receptionist was there, drinking his morning coffee and checking emails. Or playing Solitaire, who really knows? He raised his eyes and welcomed Frankenstein with a smile and a nod of head - everyone here knew him. Frankenstein returned the greeting and turned towards the elevators. He jumped in one, before someone else joined him and pressed the button for Level -2. _Down we go…_

      Not much later, the door opened, in front of him white steel doors. Right, he needs to authorize , so he could enter pathology wing. He patted the pockets on his coat, suddenly feeling the heat - no badge there! Impossible, he always kept it here! Frankenstein furiously pulled every pocket in his outfit, inside out. Still no sign of it! Lee was so busy looking, that he did not even notice the elevator doors opening behind his back, not even speaking of the hand, that reached past him, sweeping an identification card.

 

      “What’s up, sugar? Scanner not accepting your pretty face?” Hmph…

 

      “Sadly, technology has yet to evolve...Good morning, Lunark.” _This was unexpected,_ Frankenstein thought, holding the door open for her. She walked forward, slowing down, obviously waiting for him.

 

      “It’s like a Christmas miracle, seeing you here,” she happily said, glancing at him over her shoulder, “like, for real, what did you lose here? ” Frankenstein patted on his bag, hanging from the shoulder:

 

      “Just returning some stuff.” At that Lunark got visibly upset, furrowing her eyebrows and sticking out her lower lip, just a little bit.

 

      “So you are really leaving us?” Ah, Frankenstein really did not want to have this conversation. The news about him leaving travel fast. Some accepted it, some called it a betrayal, but some sought for opportunity, a free chair, warmed up, ready for replacement. Instead, he chuckled at her:

 

      “Hah, sounds like you are accusing me, Lunark!” She spluttered, her face getting red. Sometimes Frankenstein forgets how easy riling up her is. He stepped on the gas, leaving her behind. She won’t let this go…

 

      “Well, in MY opinion this is your dumbest decision, ever,” she picked up the pace, heels of her boots clicking on the sterile floor, “like, really, if you want change, come, join us! Free coffee every morning! And a bagel!” She saluted him, holding her white cup.

 

      “Tempting, but, no, thanks!” Lunark was about to say something, when she was cut short by some poor intern, who she immediately tried to get rid of. Frankenstein saw his chance to do the same:

 

      “Ah, I see you are busy! I will see you around, then.” He waved and disappeared behind the corner. While he did not mind having  conversations with her, they still tended to leave a weird aftertaste. Frankenstein felt, that under the casual banter something far more deeper was hiding. They easily challenged each other into a never ending battle of wits, like a tennis match, serving a remark after remark. Even if they would fit with each other, like a pieces of a puzzle, the picture made would never be the right one.

 

      The blonde had almost reached end of the corridor, the laboratory he needed was right here. Through the glass wall he could see Max and Takeo cleaning their instruments. Apparently, it was a lazy morning for them. Frankenstein went inside and was met by two pairs of eyes, widely opened:

 

      “Frankenstein!”

      “Вау,какие люди!*”

 

      “Morning, guys! Working hard or hardly working?” That get a chuckle out of Max, who carelessly twirled a scalpel between his fingers:

 

      “I guess we will open that one up and call it a day,” Max said, nodding at the autopsy table. Frankenstein briefly glanced at it and then did a double take. Is he serious???

 

      “What the HELL ARE YOU DOING THERE?”

 

      “Ha,ha, I’m just chilling,bro! ” Tao laughed nervously and then added, “like literally, man, I was sweating in the office and the AC is broken!” Frankenstein just looked him. Beads of sweat were forming on Tao’s forehead, despite the coolness in the room. He swallowed:

 

       “~~Well, maybe I broke it, but-” Tao promptly raised his index finger, “just because I needed some of its wires and nobody provides us with -” Frankenstein raised his palm, silencing him:

 

       “I don’t care. That’s your personal problem now.”

 

       “What brings you here, Frankenstein?” Takeo asked, thankfully reminding him of his purpose. Frankenstein slid his hand into the back, pulling out the record.

 

       “I was just sorting some stuff and I believe this belongs to you, Max,” Frankenstein said, handing him the cardboard. Max took it, pure confusion on his face. He took the record out, inspecting the label. And then his lips stretched into a smile, a mischievous fire burning in his eyes. Max put the record back in the package and returned it to Frankenstein:

 

       “No, this is yours,” erm, what? His hand remained outreached, loosely holding the item.

 

       “No, I remember that you bought it!”

       “Yesss, but-” the grey-haired man’s smile turned into a devilish grin, “-I bought it for YOU! As a birthday gift! I guess your memory is kinda foggy, huh?” _Fucker._ He really did not want to be reminded about that day, which had left him with countless questions, probably with ones he should not ask. And still…

 

        “What the fuck did you give me that night? I know it was not vodka!” Max smiled, rubbing the scar on his lip with his thumb:

 

        “Vodka is for infants, Lee. Got you some samogon from my hometown!” _Fucking great._

        “Ah, I’m surprised I did not die that day. What have you added to it? Some kind of rocket fuel?” Max smirked, not answering. _His visit was pointless,_ Frankenstein thought, shoving the record back in his bag.

 

        “Hey! By the way, how your case went?” Tao suddenly sat up on the table, setting aside the tablet. Suddenly all the attention was aimed at him.

 

        “It was...fine.”

 

        “Yo, you got the picture, man?!”~Tao laid back, putting his hands behind the head, looking at the ceiling, “I tried so hard with him, you know? ” He looked at Max and Takeo, propping his head up on his elbow. “Guy was not very talkative, even in his mind!” No one noticed Frankenstein wincing and grabbing at his forearm. Discreetly he checked his watch - simultaneously relief and disgust overwhelmed him- 9:38. He better hurry up.

 

        “While it was lovely to have this little chat, I must leave you now.”

 

        “Aww, but you just came!”

 

        “Hmpr...”

 

        “Can’t you stay a little longer?”

 

        “I’m sorry, but I have meeting...with Crombel.” Max slammed down his hand, shaking the table, nostrils flaring. He strode towards the shelves, holding various kinds of lab equipment-flasks, tubes, box of rubber gloves. From the lowest shelf he pulled out an empty jar. Sharply turning around, Max marched towards Frankenstein, sticking the jar out, under detective’s nose:

 

        “20 dollars, please!”

 

        “...What?”

 

        “We don’t use the C-word here,” Takeo interfered, clearly amused by the situation,” everyone who does that, puts a twenty in the jar. That’s the law.”

 

        “This is my first time hearing about that! ” Frankenstein said, already looking for his wallet.

 

        “Not knowing the law is no defence, Frankenstein! Make it rain!” Max shaked the jar, waiting. Frankenstein took out a bill and threw it in the jar:

 

        “It’s a hundred. Count it as an advance payment.”

 

        “Sweet~”

 

        “Alright, gentlemen, it was a pleasure!” Frankenstein gave them two finger salute, turning his back.

 

        “If you ‘accidentally’ kill him, bring the body here - we can make a suicide out of anything!”

 

        “Even, if you stab him in the back...suicide...”

 

        “Make him suffer, Frankenstein!”

 

Frankenstein was already out of the lab, smiling. The small joys...which grow into a vast sorrow...who dies and leaves you empty... It’s 9:47.

 


	5. Little Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:ANIMAL ABUSE, DEATH!

Frankenstein could feel the heavy weight on the back of his head. Two heavy weights, to be precise. He smirked, his hands skimming over the books in the psychologist’s office - once again, he had surprised himself by thinking that _this_ man had some competence or at least a sense of order stuck between his teeth. How is this imbecile supposed to sort his mind, when his own place is a pure mess?

           

Frankenstein carefully read the inscriptions on the spines, checking surnames of the authors. Rule, Schechter, Sullivan, Bugliosi...He sighed, taking the last book out of the shelf, pushing together the remaining ones and inserting it back, at the very start, right next to Cialdini.

Stepping back a little, he estimated his work - everything was in alphabetical order. Good. A cough came from behind, interrupting his little moment of pleasure.

 

“Frankenstein, you can’t just come to appointment and not say anything.”

 

“...there is nothing to talk about...” A chuckle. Frankenstein finally turned around, facing the older man, who was sitting in the chair, legs crossed. His fingers brushed his greying beard, eyes behind the glasses narrowed. Observing.

 

“Your file says otherwise. So...what will be our today’s topic? Work?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Childhood, then?”

 

“Skip.”

 

“Maybe your OCD tendencies?” Man suggested, gesturing at the bookshelf. Frankenstein just blinked at him, playing dumb. The older man sighed and licked his finger to turn a page on his notebook. From here, Frankenstein could see that previous ones were filled with the notes on him. Despite that he could not make out a single word, his psychologist’s handwriting sloppy, ink smeared.

 

“Then, let’s talk about causes and consequences of you quitting.”  Frankenstein shrugged.

 

“Not a lot here, _doc_. Some of us prefer staying, some of us - leaving.”

 

“Separating all the society in two parts. Very vague of you.”

 

“Being more specific would make your job too easy, wouldn’t it, _Dr.Crombel_?” Bitter venom seeped from his voice mixed with his sweet smile, which Crombel returned, his thin lips stretched. He took a pen and scribbled something down. Knowing him it was nothing good. Frankenstein’s eyes looked for the clock on the wall. 10.27. He had successfully wasted almost half an hour. Just have to do the same to the other half.

 

“Last months have been really rough on you, Frankenstein. Loss always leaves a hole in our lives, but,” he underlined something in his notepad, harshly, sound of pen sliding across the paper pronounced, “but every hole, physical or mental, can be filled. Only the right form and size has to be found,” and with that a smug expression creeped in his face. _That moron really thinks that he said something deep..._

 

“And yet, it’s hard to replace Caroline…” _No, he didn’t. He. Did. Not._

 

“Truly, a magnificent woman, beauty and brain going hand in hand...” _Shut up, shut up, shut up._

 

“A fierce one, sometimes...” _Why is he still talking?_

 

“Change of subject?” Frankenstein started to get visibly upset, putting hands in his pockets. Breaking his psychologist’s jaw would cause too many unnecessary problems, but it would earn him some handshakes, pats on the back and free beer. A parade, maybe. And yet, he had to deny himself this pleasure.

 

“We are almost there, Frankenstein. Death of your mother pushes you to make rushed decisions,” Crombel clicked his pen. Period. Detective simply wanted to facepalm at this moment - even a deaf person would make a better psychologist than this cigar smoking monkey with glasses. How did he even get a job here? Hell, how did he get a diploma!? Frankenstein’s profession required him to solve mysteries of the world, but this one just took the cake!

 

“Nothing is rushed here. Everyone knows, that I came back to Lukedonia because of her, I stayed because of her and I will be leaving...because of her.”

 

“Understandable. Youth always wants to spread their wings, but rarely they think of the future.” 10.43. Only 17 minutes left. Might as well humor him.

 

“And whose future are we talking about?”

 

“Everyone’s, detective. Nowadays it is hard to believe, but human mind keeps evolving as the time passes by. Your Device was doing the same. But what happens after you leave? Regression, that will happen, Frankenstein. Unless-”

 

“Unless I pass on my knowledge, heard that before,” Frankenstein promptly cut him short, tired of this nonsense. The sleepless night was showing.

 

“Without that catching criminals will become a much harder task. We don’t want to go back to cavemen era, don’t we?”

 

“All I want is to keep my work far away from abuse,” and with that his eyes pierced his, icy blue meeting silver. _Take the hint already…_ Crombel tilted his head to the side, light from the window reflecting on his glasses.

 

“What a shame...leaving the fruits of your own peak to rot...” At that Frankenstein laughed, a hearty laugh. He even pulled out one of his hands from the pocket to brush away a tear. _This man._ Crombel meanwhile shifted uncomfortably, clearly confused by his outburst. Frankenstein drew a quick, ragged breath, trying to stop his fit of laughter, hints of psychopathy breaking out:

 

“Peak? My peak? With all due respect, but I might oppose. You see, I’m am still kicking it, which means that it is impossible to determine the summit of my life. It might be the Device, it might be something else, who knows? Of course,” Frankenstein continued, getting ready to sink his fangs into this old buck, “it’s hard to grasp such a concept, especially for you, who only had led such a linear, plain, boring lifestyle...”

He saw Crombel’s hand clenching around his pen, veins bulging on his forehead and neck. Watching his attempt at swallowing the truth was hilarious. A failed psychiatrist, a barely baked psychologist, a copycat and a pathetic human being. Frankenstein felt like he had just appeased his hunger. And the view in front of him was like dabbing his lips with a fresh, white napkin. The meal was finished. He blatantly looked at the clock, smirking. It was 11:05.

 

“Ah, how sad! It seems like our time was already up! But thank you, _Dr.Crombel,_ for such a productive session!” And with that he opened the door, leaving his psychologist frozen in his chair.

 

***************************************************************************************************

 

The air was heavy, pushing him down. Every breath brought a weight with it, filling his lungs. It was atypically hot day, only the light wind of spring gave him a refreshment. The grass under his knees had already become yellowish, dry strands of it leaving marks on his skin. Yet, his mind was occupied with something else.

Its tiny chest was raising rapidly, feathers, warm like an orange, dishevelled. It was watching him, intently. One of its wings was spread out in a weird angle, broken most likely. Maybe he could ask the servants to treat it?

He slowly reached out his hand. Small and a little bit chubby fingers touched its head, comforting the bird. He felt sorry for this creature, so helpless and small...

 

“RAIZEL!”

 

His fingers froze in mid-stroke. He turned his head, looking up - the boy was standing in front of him, hastily brushing away the wavy locks from his eyes. He was irritated.

 

“I was looking for you everywhere! Guests will arrive soon and father wants you to be there,” the older boy drew a breath, not yet finished, “This house has dozens of leeches, but he sends me after you like a some kind of a bloodhound! Why is he even paying them? And why are you sitting there? Move al-Huh?”

 

Boy peered behind him, his nose suddenly wrinkling his nose in disgust:

 

“Ew, why are you touching that?!”

 

He quickly withdrew his hand, clenching his fists on his knees. Meanwhile his little companion tried to get on its feet, but once again losing the balance it fell on his side.

 

“Its wing...it’s broken...” The boy took a closer look to the bird, repulsion still on his face.

 

“And what do you want me to do?” He pursed his lips. Nothing. He wanted him to do nothing. Looking back at the bird, he saw the pain in its black round eyes as it flaunted the good wing, the other one hanging uselessly. He, himself, will take it and bring it to-

Sound of breaking bones and smashed flesh was all he heard. Where once the animal stood, a shiny black shoe had taken its place, pressing deeper in the grass. He could only watch as the boy raised his foot and immediately put it down, next to disfigured body, cleaning the sole on the grass. The view started to get blurry, tears already forming in his eyes.

 

“Don’t make such a face! I did it a favor! Move, we are going to be late!”

 

He could not avert his eyes, green and orange patches dancing in his view. A ragged exhale, the pressure in his chest breaking free. His eyelashes were wet. Just a little bit and then tears would slide down his cheeks.

 

“RAIZEL!” A hand firmly grabbed his forearm, dragging him up to his feet.

 

“FATHER IS WAITING FOR US! MOVE, YOU LITTLE RAT!”

 

Boy pushed him forwards, releasing his arm. Angry red mark was already present accompanying the burning pain.

 

**************************************************************************************************

Frankenstein closed the lid of his laptop. Across him, Gejutel cleared his throat, his eyes still looking where once the display was.

 

“That was...quite unpleasant.”

“More or less.” Gejutel leaned back in his chair, eyeing Frankenstein up and down, the whiskey glass in his hand only half empty.

 

“You got in.”

 

“I did.”

 

“How did you do that?” To that Frankenstein couldn’t give a crystal clear answer and he hated that.

 

“I just...did it. Like I have done it before,” A lie. Their minds had clicked, an immediate contact between them was created, so unlike from his previous cases. Before it was a swim in the ocean-you put the tip of your toe in it, testing the waters. Step by step you go deeper, get accustomed to temperature. And then you dive in.

This was...this was an awakening. Eyes wide open, void of any sleep. Like his life was just a dream, like _this_ was his reality. He had become someone else, trapped in a foreign body, experiencing unfamiliar nightmares alongside his own. The usual, yet they got physical. They never get physical. Frankenstein kept that to himself -the less old man knows, the better his sleep is. Or in his case - fuller the bottle is.

Landegre was watching him, one of his eyebrows raised. A question or two on his mind, curiosity fighting the urge to keep distance.

 

“Just like that? And how it comes, that thirty six people before you had to crawl to me, with their tails between legs?” A bluff, then.

 

“Well, when we look at it from the perspective of neuroscience, nowadays synapses between cells have-” Gejutel raised his hand in defeat, interrupting him. _Got him,_ Frankenstein thought. Sometimes a bullshit can help a man’s mind to stay healthy a little bit longer.

Gejutel slushed his drink inside the glass, considering taking a sip, but before that…

 

“So, what’s your verdict, Frankenstein?”

 

“This was just a warm up session, I really can’t judge anything right now.”

 

“No one asks you to slam down a small wooden hammer, I’m just asking for your opinion.”

 

“Which is very objective, I’m sure...”

 

“Just between us...” Stubborn. Never once did he care for psychological profiles, focusing only on the result, just like everyone else. Frankenstein did not want to open his mouth, because...because for the very first time he wanted to tell him something nice. Which was a very hard thing to do. A good word for one brother, paints the other one bad and vice versa. He simply could not score one for both teams, that’s not how it goes. He is neutral, he is Switzerland. Frankenstein saw what he saw.

 

“The victim kills a bird in front of his younger brother. Not cool.”

 

“Elaborate.”

 

“At this age victim must have understood the pain, which bird felt, thus showing an empathy would be a self-evident thing to do, yet he failed to do so.”

 

“Are you saying, that Raizel’s brother is a psychopath?”

 

“It is too early for me to make bold assumptions, but...I would lean more towards the sociopathism, hey- ” Frankenstein raised both of his hands, “-I’m just saying that he possesses some of the traits, typical for sociopaths. I’m not saying that he is one.” _At least, not for now._

 

“Fine, let’s not speak ill of the dead. What about Raizel?” _Ill?_ Frankenstein only shared his observations. _Look what happens, when the case gets too personal…_

 

“Rai-The suspect was okay. He was sad, he wanted to cry-a healthy reaction.”

 

“And how is he now?”

 

“I think he is in shock. The sudden loss, which happened too fast for him to process that. Brother’s presence still lingers.”

 

“You are meeting him tomorrow. What’s your next step?”

 

“I would like to jump more forward, explore his teen years. A character forms right then.” Gejutel took a little sip, not breaking the eye contact.

 

“What ,exactly, are you going to _explore_?”

 

“I plan to trigger the memories about the deaths of his parents.” The glass hit the wall on his right, smashing to the pieces. The liquor in it left yellow stain, dripping down to the floor. Frankenstein did not even bat an eye, used to the outbursts. _It was a pretty good throw for a man of his years._

 

“Are you INSANE?! Do you EVEN understand the consequences?!”

 

“Yes, I am aware,” Frankenstein calmly replied, “but that must be done. I need unroll all of the yarn to get the conclusion. I can’t ignore crucial memories, Gejutel. ”

 

“Yes, you CAN! You will take your tiny fingers and probe the yarn, and find the other end!”

 

“Why are you so furious? Are you...are you hiding something, Gejutel? Don’t want me to see something...outrageous, maybe? ” Gejutel’s eyes widened, irises almost swallowed by the pupils. He heavily breathed through his nose, hairs in his beard trembling.

 

“The audacity. HOW DARE YOU?!”

 

“And how dare YOU?! You are sabotaging the investigation! The director of Central Order! You should feel ashamed!” That silenced his boss, who lowered his eyes, looking for his glass, which was not there. From the drawer he took out a new one and quickly filled it.

 

“I...I just don’t want him to experience that again, ” he whispered, glass shaking in his hand. He took two good sips.

 

“I know,” Frankenstein softly said, “but he remembers that every day, he thinks about it, even if it’s for a second, he thinks about it. I can’t just disrupt his memories. I need to move gradually, he needs to adapt, to open up. Rushing would ruin his mind and I believe you don’t want him to end up in a psych ward?” Gejutel continued to empty the glass.

 

“He was taken to...specialists, but it did not go well...”

 

“What kind of specialists?”

 

“...psychologists, psychiatrists, I don’t know...” Frankenstein started to feel uneasy.

 

“In Lukedonia?” A nod. _Shit._

 

“Please, tell me that he did not see Crombel?”

 

“Oh, god, no! That man couldn’t even analyze a table! No, Raizel had, let me see what her name was...” Gejutel tapped his keyboard, looking at the monitor, “Dr.Aris, who was later replaced by Ignes Kravei.” _Well, this is bad…_ One of them was wearing a straitjacket now, while the other one, judging by the family name was up to no good. This country seriously lacks good doctors. Or just doctors, period.

 

“Look, Gejutel, I will do what needs to be done. I will snoop around in his mind, I will talk to him, I will talk to everyone else, who bears an importance. That’s what I do and I suggest you to stay away,” Frankenstein rose from his chair, laptop in his arms, “I’ll see him tomorrow, you will receive the report the same day.” He went towards the door. One last glance back - the new glass was empty.

 


	6. Country Roads Take Me Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MILD GORE HERE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait everyone! A close family friend passed away, so I put the writing and editing on hold, but I'm coming back.

“It’s fine...” a mere whisper, barely louder than the silence itself. An agreement, which had come so suddenly, leaving Frankenstein unable to process the sentence properly. He slowly blinked, expecting some kind of backlash. Maybe a chair being thrown at his head? A slap across his face? No.While he tried to refrain from judging people based on their looks alone, the idea of Raizel physically attacking him was difficult to grasp.Frankenstein could overpower him easily, no doubt, years of special training behind his back.A soothing thought, which gave him a sour taste in his mouth.

“Are you sure about it?” Frankenstein asked, immediately regretting doing so -look on Raizel’s face told him that his companion started to reconsider his own hurried decision. His eyebrows were knitted, his gaze focused down on his hands, fingers slightly trembling. _He is going to change his mind,_ Frankenstein thought, worried that he had jinxed the session, _we were doing so well, why did I have to ask him that again?_ Did he want to be sure, that the subject is ready for it? Or did he want to be certain, that he himself was ready to face whatever will be coming to him there, inside Raizel’s mind?

“I am,” the younger man finally replied, his eyes once again on Frankenstein, the dark circles under them just as pronounced as they were days before. He could only hope that he had had decent amount of sleep in the past few nights. A well-rested mind is a coherent mind, easy to navigate, but hard to control. That did not scare him - he wouldn’t be sitting here if he knelt in front of every single major challenge in his life.

 Frankenstein took a deep breath, smiling at Raizel, who had quietly observed him all this time, the dark eyes not leaving him even for a moment. The blonde extended his hands, an invitation for Raizel to do the same, cold fingers once again held in a firm grasp, warmth from the detective’s palms travelling down to his digits.

 

“Alright, but if you get uncomfortable and want to stop, then please tell me,” Raizel nodded, the black locks swaying on his forehead. Frankenstein released one of his hands, to start the Device, pendulums of both metronomes swinging at two paces, hardly noticeable difference between them, Frankenstein noted. It seems like Raizel started to be more at ease with the procedure, intensity of his anxiety lessened, yet not completely gone.

Taking Raizel’s hand again, he gave it an encouraging squeeze, which was weakly returned. _I better make sure, that he does not pass out during this._ They both closed their eyes, the sound of metronomes and the pulse of their hearts becoming one in their ears and in their minds.

“Let’s begin...now.”

 

Frankenstein jerked in his seat, comfortless now. It was much darker, the only light coming from what seemed to be the headlights of a car, illuminating the road in front of it. The concrete was glistening, a thin layer on ice formed on it, a dangerous ride indeed.

There was an unpleasant pressure on his chest and stomach, a seatbelt not correctly adjusted, its rough material irritating the soft skin on his neck. Yet, no one paid attention to his obvious discomfort, since the chauffeur in the front seat was busy steering the vehicle, while the passengers next to him were buried in their own thoughts.

He discreetly glanced to his left, trying not to turn his head even by an inch. Father was in an awful mood again, looking out the car’s window, fingers of his hand playing a seemingly innocent game with a ring, twisting and turning it, occasionally removing it from his middle finger, only to put it back on again, repeating the ritual. He was in turmoil since the very morning. They had an eerily silent breakfast, not even his mother daring to say a word. The only sound in the room had been clinking of the silverware and silent steps of their servants, carefully maneuvering themselves through the room, carrying the dishes and refilling the glasses. His brother was absent.

He averted his gaze, allowing it to travel to his right, where a beautiful woman was sitting, her worried expression encompassed by wavy locks of obsidian coloured hair, reaching down to her slim waist. Her eyes caught his, corners immediately wrinkling as she smiled at him sweetly, a delicate hand cupping his cheek, thumb ghosting over his pale skin, which rapidly gained rosy hue. He could not help but smile back.

 

“We had failed,” a deep voice broke the moment, the woman looking up at her husband, who was still facing the window, his fists clenching now.

 

“Why? The event went smoothly, our money will feed, dress and educate dozens of children, ” his mother said, trying to calm her husband, accomplishment and a little bit of pride seeping into her voice, “all newspapers will write about us tomorrow!”

Father finally looked at her, still as tense as before:

 

“I’m not talking about that,” his mother sighed heavily, removing her hand from his face to massage the sides of her head, trying to scare away an impending migraine.

 

“He is an eighteen-year-old, who can have a drink legally. He will get drunk and he will grow out of it. Don’t make such a huge deal out of it!” A glazed look was present in his eyes, pupils widened in an outrage. His jaw was clenched, the air loudly entering and leaving through his flared nostrils. He raised his right hand, the limb shaking visibly, and extended his index finger. _The finger._ He, definitely,is going to make a huge deal out of this.

 

“He is a disgrace to our family! He is a lousy, arrogant, greedy prick!” Mother quickly covered his ears, yet he could still hear the voice of his father, muffled, but loud and comprehensible. He kind of hoped, that she would apply more pressure.

By this moment _the finger_ was dangerously close to his mother’s nose, man’s face scrunched up in pure fury, droplets of sweat on his forehead travelling down his face, some of them getting caught in his hair. They are here for a lecture, both of them.

 

“His behaviour is unacceptable, the disrespect he had shown to me past two months is outrageous! He already acts like he is the owner of MY house and MY money! We have raised a snake in our own family! But-No, you listen to me RIGHT NOW! ” father raised his voice, his upper body leaning towards them, a maniacal grin spreading across his face, a glint in his eyes. A hysterical giggle erupted from his chest. He felt the chill run down his spine. _He never laughs. He barely even smiles._

“I am going to remove him from my will! Ha, he will get nothing! And, and, and-” the man blabbered, unable to contain his sudden excitement, the strong feeling not allowing him to express himself in a proper manner. Mother glanced at the driver, clearly embarrassed, a hint of fear in her eyes. But he did not interfere, of course.

Her spouse kept snickering, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Her hands slowly slid his neck and rested on his shoulders; the sound of his father’s madness finding his ears. A couple of unbearable minutes passed, both of their eyes still not leaving the amused man, afraid to do so. _Home should not be so far now._

 

“I-I will kick him out of the house! He is of age, so he can go and earn money on his own! He can start packing his suitcases and crawl away to his dear friends, Tradio, Kravei, those other bastards! He can go to hell with them! After all,” he sharply inhaled and looked at him for the first time in this day, “we have a spare one here,”. He patted his shoulder, an unsavoury smile on his face, which swiftly faded as his hand grabbed the side of his shoulder, painfully squeezing it.

 

“You will keep our name clear, won’t you?” He was too shaken to answer, eyes wide like saucers. The hesitance added the fuel to fire, father’s free hand suddenly squeezing his jaw, the thumb digging in his cheek. It hurt.

 

“WON’T YOU?”

 

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

He tried to speak, but couldn’t move his jaw, father oblivious of it. In fact, the prolonged silence made him to increase the strength of his grip. There will be bruises. He opened his mouth as much as it was physically possible:

 

“I-”. He did not get to finish the sentence, when he was abruptly cut short by a harsh blow to the side of the car, sending a wave of flying glass and pieces of metal right at his face. The screams of his mother a lullaby to him, as they rolled down the hill.

 

*******************************************************************************************

His eyelids were heavy as lead, yet he forced himself to pry his eyes open. A useless thing to do, since, by doing so, a warm liquid rushed down his forehead, colouring his vision red. He carefully raised his hand, to brush away the blood from his eyes, when he noticed that his whole face felt unusually warm. Lightly, he dragged the palm across his face. There was blood everywhere, cuts and shards of glass in his skin.

The well-known taste of iron in his mouth. At this moment, he did not even know, if it was the blood from his face, his split lip or from his insides, sharp pain right under his slowly beating heart. The seat belt was choking his intestines, immobilizing him. He felt nauseous, the bitter taste climbing up to his throat, to meet the sickeningly sweet one, lying on his tongue. He took a breath through his nose, hoping to prevent a further mess, only to realize that he can’t, he can’t fill his lungs properly! It hurts, it hurts everywhere.

His head was spinning, and he thought, that maybe, maybe he could shut his eyes, just for a brief moment. Mother will wake him...mother...Mother!

His eyes flew open, unseeing, as he craned his neck despite the stiffness, just to look at her. And there she was, her head leaned towards the contorted hole, where the window once was. Her ruby coloured eyes were closed, the expression on her face serene. He called out to her, his voice raspy:

 

“Mother!” No response. He tried again, only to be stopped by a coughing fit, stabbing daggers in his body. A mix of blood and saliva spluttered out of his mouth, alongside with a shaky whimper. Defeated, he turned his head, to see what state his father was, only to...find him not there, the side of the vehicle pushed much closer to him due the impact. Where could he be?

“F-Father?” Silence, only the howling of winds. He started to feel cold, but only his right side, while his left was burning from his injuries and a heavy weight. What was that? He skimmed over it with his hand, feeling the texture of a fabric under his touch. He moved the hand upwards, where the material was becoming wetter and wetter, soaking in an unknown substance.

He kept going, until his fingers suddenly sank into something pulpy. It squished, when he was removing his digits. He continued his exploration, only for his hand to suddenly freeze, his mind finally catching up with his arm. Crying out, he thrashed in his seat, pulling himself away from his father’s disfigured body. His vision blurred, he was hyperventilating -he had been two knuckles deep in father’s crushed face, poking it like a cookie dough.

 Franticly, he wiped his hand on his clothes, trying to remove the parts of his own parent stuck under his fingernails. Desperate, he once again turned to his mother, who was looking at him. He wanted to cry. So he did.

“M-Mother! F-Father, h-he-”

 

“Raizel,” her voice called out to him soothingly. Tears met blood on his cheeks, the salt finding its way to the wounds. He did not care. He listened. He could hear a lot of things-the screams of the wind, the ear cutting squeaks of metal and dripping of blood or gasoline, or both. No one here cared about it anymore. Only one thing remained inaudible - his mother’s breathing.

“Mother?” She looked but did not see.

“...Mother?” He reached out with his somewhat cleaner hand, to brush away a stray lock from her eyes. It was damp.

“...Mom?” a childish sob escaped his lips. _Why I am being so loud? Mom is sleeping, I should not disturb her._ He grabbed at his seat belt, trying to unbuckle it, yet to no avail-it was stuck. He furiously pulled at it, not relenting even for a moment, the remaining strength leaving him. Finally, one last pull freed him, searing pain traveling through his damaged body. He slid closer to his mother, hugging her tightly. _I will keep you warm._

There was a pressure on his back, bodily fluids from it soaking his shirt. Father also was keeping company with them.

 

“We are leaving now!”

 

He was back in Raizel’s room, his clothes clean and dry, however the dirty sensation still lingered. Frankenstein is going to take at least two showers, for sure. He glanced at the Raizel, immediately setting his thoughts aside-he looked horrible. They were still holding their hands, well, Frankenstein did all the holding, while Raizel’s palms laid slack in his grasp, his skin covered in cold sweat.

“Raizel, are you alright?” He was slightly swaying in his seat, not replying. Detective looked at his laptop-the screen was showing an unflattering pulse rate, too slow to his liking. Frankenstein rose from his seat, not releasing Raizel’s hands, instead sliding his own up to man’s shoulders.

“I will help you to your bed. Are you fine with it?” A broken _yes_ came from his lips. After removing the wires, he helped Raizel to stand up, letting him to lean on Frankenstein’s side. Even through his shirt, he felt the chill coming from the man’s body. He wrapped his left arm around Raizel’s waist, while the other one grabbed at his forearm, slowly steering him towards the bed, which, thankfully, was not far away.

Gingerly he placed the brunette on the sheets and fluffed the pillows. The subject was at a safe position now, the risk of him fainting and hitting his head reduced. Still, he was breathing shallowly, skin almost white as the sheets. Frankenstein reached into his pocket and took out a handkerchief. He bent slightly, gently dabbing the cloth on Raizel’s face, removing the excess sweat.

“Have you eaten anything?” Raizel did not answer him, yet Frankenstein was sure that he heard him this time. So that means…

“You should eat something,”

 

Raizel shook his head, “I don’t want to.”

 

“You have to. Stay here, don’t move,” Frankenstein warned him, walking towards his bag. He took out an unopened bottle of water and then, after some additional digging, a chocolate bar, which he kept for his low sugar level days. He took both items and returned to Raizel. He sat down at the very side of the bed, unscrewing the bottle. Putting his hand at the back of man’s head, he prompted Raizel to take some sips.

 

“Thank you,”

 

“Don’t mention it. And now, ” he put away the bottle and put the candy bar in front of Raizel’s face, “I will leave only when you finish this.” His eyes widened but he accepted the treat. Frankenstein assisted him with the package, swiftly tearing it open for him.

 

“Mother was right,”

 

“Huh?” Frankenstein did not understand.

 

“The press wrote about them. They were on the front pages,” Raizel said absentmindedly, taking a bite from his chocolate.Frankenstein for the first time in a while did not know what to say...


	7. Rumor Has It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why this chapter took so long? I had already written it, but decided to delete that garbage, only to present you with this, more tolerable garbage!   
> Also wanted to say, that this September I'm going to start my job as a programmer and it is also my last year in uni. I will be quite busy, but I will make sure to update at least once a month!  
> Thank you for sticking by!

All those layers of disinfectant could not suppress the stench of urine, blood and , possibly, mold. The walls around him had seen and heard a lot. They were here before him, being more ancient than Gejutel himself...although, when he thought about it, that man must have seen , at least, the birth of the Solar System.

A chill ran down his spine, his whole body shivering. The air around him was cold and humid, making his hair frizzy, the smooth golden locks morphed into an uncontrollable mess of hay-like monstrosity. He took a strand between his fingers, observing the end of it. The ocean’s winds had done some damage, the texture of his hair rough and dry. Frankenstein will have to use all of his arsenal from his bathroom shelf to remove the poodle from his head. _You are the reason, why import of hair products is growing, Frankenstein. You are ruining our economy._ He remembered Max saying that to him, while he was arguing with Takeo about which hair dryer is the best. The grey-haired man should have known better, than to express his unwanted opinion -Frankenstein held grudges, even the minor ones.

The waiting made him impatient, his foot silently tapping. He already had wasted so much time this week by not doing anything worthwhile and now, when he had the chance to redeem himself, they made him to wait...again. Getting here was a complicated task, the bureaucracy at its best. Thankfully, he did not have to deal with those countless individuals, who only kept redirecting you from a table to table, smearing papers with their illegible signatures - Central Order did it for him.

Bored he rose from his seat, coat in his hands as he strolled across the lobby, towards the framed pictures, which hung on the wall. Most of them were black and white, dating back to early 1920s, when the building opened its doors for the very first time. Nurses from the image were frowning at him, next to them a couple of tough looking men, probably orderlies, bearing the same, unkind expression on their faces. _” The staff members at the entrance of Union Asylum”._ Almost hundred years have passed since this photo was taken, yet Frankenstein could not see the difference between the past and the present.

He moved to the next photo, where bunch of doctors had gathered around a lying patient, holding her limbs and head, while one of them were inserting an orbitoclast into woman’s eye socket. Frankenstein winced, the barbaric treatment repelling him.  He could only be glad, that by this time lobotomies have become a history, drugs being a more convenient way to subdue the inmate, transforming them into apathetic, salivating vegetables.

“My deepest apologies, Detective Lee,” an overly cheerful voice came from behind, making him to turn around. In front of him was a man, wearing a grey bespoke suit and a pair of glasses, which he kept pushing up his nose.

“You must have waited so long! I’m deeply sorry about the inconveniences! ” The man flashed a smile, revealing a set of pearl white teeth, which charmingly contrasted with his dark skin. He extended his hand, which Frankenstein clasped with his own, giving it a short, but strong shake.

“You must be Dr. Yuri, if I am not mistaken,”

 

“The one and only! ” Dr. Yuri gleefully affirmed it, raising both of his hands theatrically. He was a showman, the asylum his stage and Frankenstein his sole spectator. A new face is always easier to entertain.

 

“Please, follow me,” the doctor said, putting his hand on Frankenstein’s back, steering him away from the pictures. They both entered a dimly lit hallway, the floor still wet from antiseptic.

“It is truly a pleasure to have you here, Detective Lee! I, myself, have been very eager to finally meet you! ” His companion said, golden eyes glistening behind his glasses, which he kept fixing. Frankenstein curled a corner of his mouth, blatantly sneering.

“Really? I was not aware of being such an expected guest!”

 

“Nonsense, Detective Lee, ”Yuri chuckled, immediately adjusting his glasses, “a man like you can provide a really good company. Especially, in our _clique.._.” Now it was Frankenstein’s turn to laugh.

 

“Clique? Are we back in high school?”

 

“Humans are social creatures, always trying to form a circle with those, who are similar to them. It may be more pronounced in our school years, but it does not mean that it stops there. However...” Yuri’s tone changed, becoming sweeter, syllables dripping like honey, “...I am not sure, if you would fit in any of those...No offence!” Doctor quickly added, smiling so widely that his eyes were barely open. Index finger. Glasses. A push. They slid back once again.

 

“None taken,” Frankenstein said, ignoring doctor’s pointless blabbering, which started to remind him of someone. Instead he decided to pay attention to the corridor, which seemed oddly quiet. If one did not count Yuri’s monologue, the only sounds in here were creaking of the pipes and hum of the lights.

 

“...really, such a high class inventor like you can’t be categorized! Yet...I could give it a try!” _In your dreams…_

“I am not here to be analysed, _doc,_ ” Frankenstein spat out, annoyance growing within him.

 

“Of course, you are not! I just can’t help myself sometimes! I must have inherited the habit from my professor! You must have crossed your paths with Dr. Crombel!” Oh...that’s why he was experiencing _déjà vu…_

 

“Yes...I have...met Dr. Crombel. Sadly, I’m not a fan of his approach,” Frankenstein coldly said, his eyes on Yuri.

 

“Ha, I know what you are thinking, Detective Lee, but do not worry-a student always surpasses his teacher!”

 

“I am not worried,” Frankenstein chuckled, “after all, the bar has been set pretty low.” Yuri’s smile faltered as he took the jab at his pride. Still, he recovered quickly, pressing the elevator button, seemingly unfazed.

 

“I guess, I should give you a quick history about Dr. Aris,” Doctor said, as they stepped into the elevator, doors struggling to close.

 

“A little recap won’t hurt...”

 

“As you may already know, Dr. Aris was institutionalized five years ago due to drug overdose.”

“The D,”

“Yes, Dr. Aris was preferring its stimulating effects, clearly dismissing the inevitable damage of her own brain,” Yuri said, hands in the pockets. The elevator was moving too slow for his taste.

 

“She should have sticked to Red Bull, like everyone else...”Frankenstein muttered under his nose. Yuri had heard him, letting a cackle to escape his lips.

 

“Dr. Aris cherished the notes of strawberry in it...a sweet, organic strawberry...”

 

“Sounds tempting...what did she do to end up in here?”

 

“She was always here, Detective. Before me, she was the head doctor,”

 

“What a way to get a promotion, _doc_!” Lee scoffed. Yuri fixed his glasses.

 

“The reason why she...let’s say, changed the floor, was her trying to breastfeed a patient...”

 

Frankenstein looked at him, eyes wide as saucers. He had misheard him, right? Right???

 

“Excuse me?!”

 

“She thought that he was really malnourished, so she chose to take matters in her own hands,” a light smile appeared on doctor’s face. It was like he was swimming in nostalgia, remembering her sick shenanigans with great joy. The elevator finally stopped moving, its doors opening. They were way under…

 

“Dr.Aris thinks of all her patients as her own children, showing her eccentric affection to the good kids, while the naughty ones got a punishment...” Frankenstein’s stomach turned just from the thought of having that crazy bitch near Raizel. Wrong. Sirreal.

 

“I might ask her about one of her ex-patients...”Frankenstein said, his hand moving to his chest, where in the breast pocket he had put Raizel’s picture. They had reached iron gates, an orderly already guarding them.

 

“She remembers all her _children._ Especially the ones, who got away...” The cheerful smile had turned into a wicked grin. Yuri nodded at orderly, who took out the keys, opening gates. They went further, this time the way blocked by steel doors, a biometric reader next to them. Yuri got closer to it, his palm hovering over it.

 

“When you are ready to leave, just press the red button and...” he moved his palm closer, “please, Detective, remember that she has not seen a man like you in ages...Aris might be a little aroused.” With that, he put his palm on the scanner, opening the doors.

 

_Bastard._

 

************************************************************************************

He did not know what to expect, so he had expected nothing. But boy, oh boy, this was something. The room had been separated in two parts by a glass wall. The side that he was one was nothing special-grey walls, tile floor. Only a comfortable armchair was there, facing the other side of the room. Which was...well...something…

 

It was an office, the floor made from oak wood, so was the desk and cabinets, which held hundreds of documents, neatly arranged in an alphabetical order. On the desk there were a bunch of knick-knacks. Frankenstein spotted a Newton’s cradle, the first and last sphere swinging. He smiled - it reminded him of the times, when he had started his work on the Device. He had ended up using metronomes, but the inspiration had come from this thing. He was so deep in thoughts, that he barely heard the sharp gasp, coming from the other side.

 

There was a red haired woman sitting in a chair, similar to the one on his part. Her golden eyes were wide open, her hands over her mouth. Just as Frankenstein opened his mouth to say something, a high-pitched, muffled voice interrupted him.

 

“Y-You,you are...so beautiful! ” she cried out, hands falling to her sides. She stood up, smoothing her short skirt, “please, don’t stand there. Come, sit!” She gestured to the chair, while sitting back on her own, dragging it a little bit closer to the glass wall. Frankenstein moved to take the seat, coming face to face with infamous Dr. Aris.

“Thank you, Dr.Aris, for meeting me,” he politely said, crossing his legs. Meanwhile, Aris had leaned closer to him, her hands under her chin. She looked at him in an awe. He started to feel uncomfortable. Is this glass wall bulletproof?

 

“How?! How can you have such a lovely voice?!” She howled, excitement pouring out of her. _I swear to God, if she is going to have an orgasm, I’m leaving!_

 

“Thank you, Doctor, you are too kind. I’m Frankenstein Lee, Central Order’s detective. I have some questions to ask-”

 

“Blue!”

 

“I,I am sorry?”

 

“My favourite colour! Just like your eyes! What a coincidence! No!...A destiny...” she whispered, seductively licking her lips. Alright, this one had lost all of her marbles….He just needed to get the question out and, hopefully, he could get an answer out of her in return. Frankenstein reached to his pocket, pulling out the photo. Once again, he did not manage to say anything.

 

“Those are not lenses, are they?”

 

“Um, no, they are not...”

 

“And is that your natural hair colour?”

 

“Yes, it is! ” Frankenstein harshly replied, putting the photo against the glass, “do you remember this man?”

 

Aris paid no attention to the photography, her eyes travelling Frankenstein’s body, her gaze stopping at his crotch. Good thing that he had crossed his legs.

 

“How big is it?” _She got to be fucking kidding him!_

 

“Dr.Aris, I asked you a question!”

 

“It must be at least 10 inches!” she bit her lip, swallowing, “I expect no less from you.”

 

“Can you look at the photo?”

 

“You will be the perfect daddy for my children...Ah! We could make our own! I love all of them, but let’s be fair - there has to be a favourite among them!” Waking up this morning was a bad idea. Not drinking his aspirin was a bad idea. Driving 70 miles to get to the island was a bad idea. But _this_ was horrifyingly stupid! He could leave, having  another day wasted or he could play along and finally get some information! He chose the latter.

 

“Sure thing! I will just go to the bathroom to powder my nose, but can you please tell me more about this child? ”

 

It took an effort for her to move her gaze away from him, but finally, fucking finally she looked at the picture. Aris’ face scrunched in anger, veins bulging on her forehead.

 

“HE IS NOT MY CHILD! HE LEFT ME!”

 

“Please, calm down. What can you tell me about him?”

 

“He was silent and boring,” she said in a childlike manner, leaning back in her chair, her arms crossed. She was pouting.

 

“He was sent to you after his parents were killed in a car accident. Did he tell you anything about it?”

 

“Murdered,”

 

“What?”

 

“Murdered. He kept correcting me on that, ” she said twirling a strand of hair, not looking at him or the picture. _Murdered? Why would Raizel say that?_

 

“No one found the car or the driver, who crashed into them,” Aris said, releasing the strand, watching it to bounce. Then she looked at him again, pushing her chest forwards.

 

“Just adding my two cents, _love_!” Okay, this will be enough. He got up from his seat, taking the picture. The look on her face became more serious as she jerked in her chair.

“Thank you Dr.Aris, you were very helpful! ” Frankenstein said with a smile, turning his back on her.

 

“WAIT! Where are you going?!”

 

“Just as I said - to powder my nose, honey!” Frankenstein said, pressing the red button.

 


	8. The Worst Ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what, who promised to upload at least once a month and lied? Yes, it was me!  
> I am so sorry for the wait-job, uni and bachelor's thesis are taking over my life!  
> Just wanted to say huge thank you for those who stick by, comment, leave kudos and subscribe-all of it motivates me greatly.

“Is that for the sky? ” Frankenstein nodded towards the celeste coloured pencil, which oddly stood out from the overall palette of the room. Raizel looked up from his sketchbook, following blonde’s gaze, eyes finally setting on the object in question. The answer was not immediate, though Frankenstein was already used to contemplation, which came together with the younger man like a package deal. Ever since he had met him, Raizel not even once had rushed out his replies, always meticulously weighting every word on his tongue before letting it past his lips. Endearing. It was so endearing to him, how Raizel tried to paint this perfect image of himself, tried to present himself clean and regal. At least, that’s how everyone else beside Frankenstein saw him, mere spectators of his little performance, unaware of the mess, which hid in his mind, ready to dirten the fingernails of those, who stick their noses in it.

“One could say so,” Raizel slowly said, his gaze meeting Frankenstein’s. Lee almost snorted - it was like the childhood again, both of them playing the adult version of “cops and robbers”, where instead of catching the running criminal, he had to swallow and digest every piece of information he could get from the brunette. What a shame - the original game was way more fun, especially if he could play the robber, the thrill of being chased boiling his blood. Did Raizel feel the same thrill?

“I had an interesting meeting this week, ” Frankenstein said, crossing his right leg over his left, “ Dr.Aris provided me with some insight on your situation”.

Raizel’s hand stilled for a moment, his fingers clutching tighter at the pencil.Then he resumed the movement, quick strokes on the paper. There was a barely noticeable tension in his jaw, like he was biting the insides of his cheeks, the tender meat painfully squeezed between his molars. The pencil sank deeper in the paper, threatening to tear it apart.

“Her...way of expressing herself was kind of...confusing. But she told me something. Something, that you once told her. ”

Graphite being dragged across the canvas was the only sound in the room. That and the sound of being ignored. Both of them equally loud to Frankenstein’s ears, loud enough to piss him off. _He won’t tell me a thing, I know he won’t._

They both could be stubborn together, crossing their arms and legs, pouting at each other and waiting, waiting to see, who breaks first. But not today - Lee’s patience had already worn thin by this time. Tao had spilled his coffee on his shirt early in this morning and he had to drive home to get a replacement. Then, because of that, he had been late to his appointment with Crombel, who had made sure to note his “apparent lack of punctuality”, which had made Frankenstein remarkably mad. And then the fucking wanker had the balls to suggest him to “clean his rifle”. _Let off some steam, Mr.Lee. You have been more agitated than usual._

And now he had to sit across Cadis Etrama di Raizel, who not only did have audacity to blatantly disregard his question, but also managed to look like a kicked puppy with those sorrowful deep red orbs, which often disappeared behind the thick eyelashes. Cadis Etrama di Raizel was _the fucking worst._ Good thing that Frankenstein himself was far from good and he was ready to pull this puppy by its tail.

“So, who killed them? ”

 

_CRACK!_

 

The pencil between Raizel’s fingers had snapped in half, parts of wood landing on the table, the grey graphite tainting his hands. Raizel had frozen, unable to tear his eyes away from his digits, rubbing them against each other. _Was he hurt?!_

 

“Don’t do that! Here, let me -” Frankenstein slid hand into his breast pocket, pulling out a white silk handkerchief. He reached over the table, to held Raizel’s dirty hand, dabbing, not rubbing the skin with the clean cloth, which now gained more of a greyish tint. Frankenstein saw no red. Good, he was not bleeding, yet he kept his touch soft, being aware of possible splinters. Finally, satisfied with the result, he withdrew his hand, tucking the now stained handkerchief back in his pocket. Raizel was still looking at his hand, his expression unreadable.

 

“Tell me all you know...Raizel,” Frankenstein said softly, almost whispering. Raizel slowly blinked, inspecting his hand. It was clean.

 

“No,” came equally soft answer, shattering every last hope, which Frankenstein had. Detective sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair, his hands massaging the sides of his head. He forgot to take the pill.

Meanwhile Raizel had put away his sketchbook, placing it on the table, the drawing faced down.He extended both of his hands towards Frankenstein, determination in his eyes:

 

“I am going to show you.”

 

***********************************************************************

            There was an itch in his throat, making him to have countless coughing fits, which shook his whole body, sending waves of pain through his barely healed bones and flesh. Every single time he checked his stitches, hoping that none of them had been torn. He had been obnoxiously loud...too loud, actually. He was surprised that his brother had not already come and told him to shut up.

            For the past few weeks he rarely saw him and he doubted that the brother even slept here. In those times they should be together, shouldn’t they? At least, that’s what people say. However, he did not complain - this is better. The pain, the itch, even the fever was a more welcome company than his brother and the strange expression, which he wore after the accident. There was a calculation in his eyes, the corners of his lips slightly raised. The smile of Mona Lisa combined with the coldest red he had seen in his life.

            The scratching in his throat did not stop. Sighing, he pushed away the duvet, getting out of the bed - a cup of hot tea will help to soothe him.

            He opened his bedroom door, checking the hallway. Empty. It was almost midnight, so servants must have gone to rest. It’s alright - he can make his own tea...probably…

            He came down the stairs, slowly, since every step shot a burning pain up his legs. He won’t cry. He won’t wince. Not a whimper. He is fine.

            He made his way towards the kitchen, the thought of the warm beverage taking his mind away from the ache.

 He heard someone. There was someone in his father’s study, which was right next to the kitchen. He could not make out the words, but the voice… it was the voice of his brother. Was he home?

He tiptoed closer, trying to avoid the creaky floorboards. Yes, no doubt, it was his brother! But, he was not alone...who could be visiting _him_ this late?

 

“...and you even doubted this! I said that everything will go smoothly. And it did, didn’t it? ”

 

“It did, ” his brother answered, after taking a sip of something. It must be his father’s whiskey.

 

“Of course, your brother was a surprise to all of us. He should not be here,” the visitor said, making sure that his raspy voice conveyed the displeasure he was feeling.

 

“He shouldn’t, but he is...”

 

“What are you going to do with him? ”

 

He felt the chills, the hair on the back of his neck standing. Oh, he will do _bad_ things with him, some _really bad_ things.

 

“I don’t bother my mind with Raizel, Lagus...The only thing that bothers me is what happened to the driver?”

 

“Don’t worry, I do not leave loose ends.”

 

“What did you do?”

 

“Let’s say that he now sleeps with the fishes...” Lagus cackled. The sound was disgusting, but when it was accompanied with his brother’s heartful laugh, he was certain, absolutely certain that he just heard the laugh of Satan himself. He did not want to hear any more. Slowly, he stepped backwards, still mindful of the floorboards. He did not get far, when the next sentence had stopped him dead in his tracks.

 

“I can finally breathe now. I just wish we had killed them earlier...”

 

The breath stuck in his throat, depriving him of oxygen. Even worse - he wanted to cough.

 

“Sulking over the past won’t do us any good. What matters is that this will be our reign now and we will get to clean this place,”

 

“We could get rid of the Lord... ” brother said dreamily.

 

“Ha, ha, already going after the big man, ” Lagus chuckled, “you better do something about Raizel. I am already fed up with his judgy mug. Just like his father...” Lagus spat.

 

“Just like the father...”

 

***************************************************************************

“THAT SON OF A BITCH!” The pile of papers went flying, only to slowly land on the ground.

 

“Language, ” Frankenstein tutted, while watching the meltdown of his boss. It was like watching a car crash - it was utterly horrifying, yet he could not stop staring. It was entertainment at its finest and there were no ad breaks. Maybe he should cancel his Netflix subscription? In this office he could see the drama, horror and comedy at the same time and he even gets paid to be here! What a marvelous world!

 

“...he planned it...how...they both...” the sweat was pouring down Gejutel’s flushed face, capillaries in his eyes bursting. He could not believe his eyes. Or his ears.

 

“I know the only thing that you want to do right now is to cancel the shipment of your friendship bracelets, Landegre, but can you , please, pause your tantrum and tell me, what the fuck you are going to do about this! ”

 

Gejutel glanced at him, running hand through his grey strands.

 

“What do you mean, Frankenstein? I will do what must be done.”

 

“Which is? ”

 

The old man narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth at him.

 

“What do you think I will do, Detective? ” Gejutel leaned closer to him, his bulky frame towering over Frankenstein, who sat in the chair, not batting an eye at Landegre’s eruptions.

 

“Do you really THINK THAT I WILL LET HIM GO??!! AFTER WHAT HE HAD DONE?”

 

“Well...will you?”

 

“You are a pretentious fool, Frankenstein,” Gejutel simply said, moving away from him. He turned towards the window, clasping his hands behind his back. _Great.It is going to be a storytime…_

 

“They were good people, you know? They were strict, demanding, but they cared for their children deeply. I know that. I was there Frankenstein. Their wedding. The birthdays of the boys. Their funeral. And his funeral...I grieved over a murderer’s death. And I grieved together with the murderers. And guess what, ” he turned back to him, staring right at him. Frankenstein held the gaze.

 

“I won’t grieve over Lagus.”

 

“You are opening the case.”

 

“I don’t know, what will happen to Raizel, I can’t imagine what he felt or what he feels now. I can’t help him and I think you can’t really help him either. I...I just owe him and his parents the justice.”

 

“I don’t think that it will make him feel better.”

 

“I never said it will,” Gejutel replied, a sad smile on his face.

 

*****************************************************************

 

He rushed to his car, his hair already drenched in the rain. Why was his parking spot so far from the entrance? Maybe he should hijack Gejutel’s car? He probably would not even notice that it missing at this point.

He had stepped into a puddle, water getting inside his shoe, making his sock damp. Great. Just what he needed.

Frankenstein saw his sedan and the thought of getting into a warm, dry car, almost made him run, but then he noticed someone leaning against his vehicle, going through their phone with one hand, while the other was holding a black umbrella over their head. Frankenstein slowed down, suddenly approaching his car carefully, but with confidence. The person looked up, right at him and flashed a cheerful smile:

            “I have heard that you were looking for me, Detective!”


	9. Uninvited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dumb dialogue, a really bad night and an unexpectedly shitty morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Life is busy as hell, but I hope you will find an enjoyment in this short chapter, which probably is starting to make no sense. Thank you, sleep deprivation, very cool!

“I have to admit - I did expect for us to meet under...” Frankenstein glanced upwards, where grey clouds had swallowed the sky, letting the rain to generously fall over them, not letting a single strand of hair to remain dry, “better circumstances, Miss Kravei.”

 

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Detective Lee.”

 

“And which one of us is the pleading one?”

 

The woman’s shoulders shaked as she giggled, her blood red coloured lips stretched. He could see her sharp canines and that made him wonder, if he could get cut just from looking at them.

“I would say that we both are in the same boat, dependent on each other. I’m sure you are familiar with symbiosis.”

 

“I am, ” Frankenstein smiled, drops of rain travelling down his forehead. The woman did not offer to share her umbrella. Instead, she moved away from his car, stepping closer to Frankenstein. He inhaled her perfume. A strong, unpleasant scent, which went down his throat. He could _taste_ it, the bitterness of various chemicals, leaving a sore feeling in his throat. The blonde swallowed, trying to wash it down. However, his companion must have misunderstood the action and shortened the distance between them even more, her lips mere inches away from his.

 

“We could benefit from each other, ” she whispered,her voice changing the pitch to a higher one. She watched him intensely, her dark eyes only leaving his baby blues, just to move down his lips, his neck, his body. Frankenstein shivered, his coat now completely drenched. Once again, his body had given the young lady wrong ideas as she leaned sinfully close.

 

“I am not sure, what you meant with that, Miss Kravei -”

 

“Just Ignes...” she breathed on his lips, “and what I meant is that I have information about Cadis Etrama di Raizel and so do you...”

 

“Don’t you already know everything about him, _Ignes_? Such an exceptional psychiatrist must have explored the rooms of his mind,”

 

“I’m afraid that I have only peeked through the windows,but you...” she raised her hand, brushing away his bangs from the damp forehead, “you have walked the twisted corridors of his mind, being intimate with his deepest secrets. You have stepped your foot over countless thresholds, while the ones before you could not even budge the doors. ”

 

“You are giving me too much credit...”

 

“Or not enough. But I could change that very easily...” Ignes said, moving away from him, yet still remaining too close for his liking. Freezing, water dripping from his clothes, Frankenstein was already fed up with the woman’s games. The temptation of a hot shower and the steam coming from a cup of tea in his hands won over of him forging a politeness.

 

“Miss Kravei, why did you come to me?”

 

“I already told you that. I need some information.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I am writing a book.”

 

To that Frankenstein let out a little snort, simply not being able to keep it in. The pleasant smile started to fade from woman’s face, corners of her lips just barely raised.

 

“What is so amusing about that, Detective?”

 

“It’s hard to choose, Miss. Maybe it is the banality, maybe it is the wish to make a quick buck or maybe it is the obvious desperation for attention.”

 

“My only wish is to get out the truth. People need to know about monsters between us. Hang on a second - that’s a good title! ” She took out her phone, furiously typing down. _What have I got myself into?_ Frankenstein thought, watching as she put the device back into her pocket, her attention back to him. Waiting.

 

“What is the truth? What is the truth about Raizel?”

 

“Still water runs deep. His calm demeanor is just a facade, Detective. You know that he is capable of evil acts, yet you are still stuck in denial. Do not let a couple of pretty eyes to fool you.”

“Every single detail from my investigation is confidential, but I will whisper you a little something...” Frankenstein nearly growled, this time being the one who came closer, “...the only evil acts I saw were the ones directed towards _him._ ”

 

“And that’s a recipe to make a murderer.”

 

“Raizel’s involvement in his brother’s tragic passing is not proven yet,” he spit through his gritted teeth. Ignes just rolled her eyes at him.

 

“His brother was on his way to do great things. He had the charisma, the cunningness and the power of will to make a change in this pathetic country. ”

 

“And what are those ‘great’ things, exactly? The undeniable segregation of nation, implementation of a caste system or the deportation of everyone, whose wallets are not thick enough?”

 

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others, Detective.”

 

“Instead of quoting Orwell to me, why don’t you throw up some wisdom yourself? Oh, I forgot - you are too incompetent for that!” Frankenstein said, moving to his vehicle. He opened the door, however his tongue still itched, so he turned his head:

 

“Although, on the other hand, I may have something for your book, for prologue, at least.”

 

She fell for that, turning around to face him. There were visible signs of rage in her face, but her eyes could not hide the curiosity.

 

“What? What is it?” she hissed at him.

 

Frankenstein raised his hand, slowly extending the middle finger. The disciplinary punishment about his improper behaviour? Couple hundreds of dollars. The look on that cunt’s face? Priceless.

 

*****************************************************************************************

The sheets kept sticking to his sweaty skin as he tossed and turned. Every once in a awhile he checked his phone, watching as the minutes passed by inescapably, the remaining time for his rest diminishing just like the darkness outside the window. Desperately, he pushed his face deeper in the pillow, hoping that he could at least suffocate himself to unconsciousness.

The bed creaked underneath him, his attempts to turn his mind off fruitless. The day had dragged and dragged on, becoming an evening and then a night, carrying the weight of decisions, some of them his, some of them far from his reach, along it. He did something today, he did a lot of _somethings_ today and still - why did he felt so fucking useless? He had started an avalanche and he might be even able to escape it if not for him being stuck, stuck in this place. He was drained, everyone getting a bite of him, sinking their teeth into his flesh and his mind and _tearing,_ everyone trying to pull out the biggest piece.

He shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter around his frame, the cold beads of sweat dampening his skin and hair. Frankenstein sighed heavily, once again trying to shift himself into a more comfortable position. Laying on his back, the blonde wearily watched the ceiling as his eyelids became more and more heavy, his eyes finally shutting close. Only for them to flew open once again.

Frankenstein could not scream, not even a whimper leaving his lips. Unable to move, he just laid there, his eyes solely focused on the dark figure, which was straddling him, its rear pressing down on his chest, making it harder for the air to expand his lungs.

The being slid one of its hands over his neck, fingers spread, moving to his face, grabbing it in a tight hold, one of the digits almost pressing on his eyeball. His mind yelled for his body to awake, to move, but nothing - he was trapped in his flesh and bones. The only thing that Frankenstein could do, was to close his eyes.A foolish, cowardly move, but he knew no better, so he squeezed them shut.

By doing so, it seemed, that Frankenstein had provided a great amusement for the being, a sound of laughter reaching his ears. It started out with a silent snickering, which rapidly grew into a loud, malicious glee. Frankenstein could feel it, the being trembling over him, its hand still on blonde’s face. He did not dare to open his eyes.

The playful giggles stuttered as the broken sobs escaped from the being. Frankenstein could feel its other hand resting on his unoccupied cheek. The touch was tender, almost loving, its fingers caressing detective’s soft skin. However the other side of his face fared worse, the pressure there threatening to dislocate Frankenstein’s jaw.

Figure’s wailing increased its volume - it must have leaned closer to Frankenstein, trying to attract his attention. Frankenstein decided to give it a cold shoulder out of spite. _It will end soon anyway._

It drove the crier on his chest to desperation, the nails of its right hand dragging over Frankenstein’s left cheek, scratching and clawing. The being gasped wetly, trying to force his eyes open. He continued to ignore his uninvited visitor.

Eventually it calmed down, moans replaced by silence, an eerily quiet silence. An illogical observation, yet his eyes remained closed. But not for long.

 It whispered to him in a voice, which he would recognize amongst the many thousands of them. Frankenstein had become acquainted with the soft vibrations of it, had heard it's sorrows, which were mixed with a deeply hidden childlike hope. This voice belonged to that person, only to him.

 

“What was my fault?”

 

“RAIZEL?!?” His mind shouted as he opened his eyes. There he was, still sitting on his chest, wearing a sad smile on his face. Only now Frankenstein noticed, that he was able to breathe with ease, not feeling the weight of the dark haired man. And why would he? This was not real.

Raizel’s hands were still on taller man’s face, gently cupping his cheeks. This was nice. He could get used to this. It is not like he had not had pretty things in his bedroom, but having such a lovely angel smiling down on him left his previous bed warmers in the dust.

The lack of reply was upsetting to Raizel, his smile faltering. His heart racing, Frankenstein tried to open his mouth, to move his tongue, but it just laid there, behind his teeth, a useless lump of meat.

“What was my fault?” Raizel repeated the question, eyes glinting with unshed tears. Frankenstein despised them; just like he despised his dumb arms, which kept disobeying him. He is good with his words, but he is amazing with his hands. They could help to soothe the young man, to take his mind away from asking stupid questions.

 

“What was my fault?”

 

Frankenstein’s mind was miles away, as he unabashedly checked out Raizel. The usual black pants and the white shirt, all of its buttons done up, hiding as much skin as possible. What a fucking prude.

 

“What was my fault?”

 

Two wide eyes were looking at him, begging him to answer. Frankenstein started to get annoyed, tired of hearing the same question coming from that mouth, the mouth, which could be put to a good use, if he had a chance. Anything, to keep those lips busy.

 

“What was m-”

 

“SHUT UP!”

 

Frankenstein’s hands went to Raizel’s neck, fingers wrapping around...around an empty space.

He was awake.And alone, the slender body gone, leaving him panting for air and he won’t even start thinking about the pulsating arousal in his boxers. Groaning,he sat up on his bed, joints and muscles finally listening to his neurons. The sweat was dripping down his chin, his forehead burning in flames.

Frankenstein was worn out, every cell of him craving for rest. Honestly, he was not sure, if he could close his eyes after what had just happened. Nevertheless, Frankenstein could feel himself once again drifting off to sleep....The alarm on his phone, however had different plans for him.

The shrill ringing was piercing his ears and before he could even register his movements, the phone was flying across the room, meeting the wall, the plastic and glass going in every possible direction.


	10. Stop Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter, where some steps were being retraced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this took so long! I was busy with job, uni, my BA thesis and I had no energy left for the writing itself! I can't promise to keep consistent in my uploads, but, at least, I have planned the story out fully by now, so I hope you will still stick by to see the grand finale.(it won't be so grand-there will be a pie and maybe a confetti)  
> Huge thanks to everyone, who comments and or leaves kudos-it helps me to find time and energy to write. Thank you. Also, thanks to those who don't do any of those things, but still follows the story-hello, how are you doin'?
> 
> Enough babbling and know lets read some more babbling!

The water travelled down his thighs, staining the carpet under his feet as he stood naked in the middle of his bedroom. There was a soft towel in his hands, lightly patting his damp hair, yet the action was automatic, since Frankenstein’s attention was focused somewhere else.

The light from his TV painted the room blue. Then red. Then blue again. The scenes danced on its screen - enraged politicians with blood filled eyes, their faces burnt by their own rage, interrupted by a local newscaster, who calmly delivered her lines, occasionally shifting her gaze on another camera. _Camera A. Now, Camera B. Ad break. Now we are back and...rolling!_

Media spared no one. Like famished dogs they jumped on their prey, tearing it to skin and bones, their hunger never satisfied. Frankenstein started every single morning of his staring at the massacres through the steam of his morning coffee. Silently, he always pitied everyone, who happened to be caught in the claws of wannabe journalists, trying to outscream each other, spitting their question at their victim. Detective knew this feeling all too well. Yet, this time he felt a sick, twisted joy as he saw Central Order guards unceremoniously dragging Lagus Tradio by his elbows. The clan leader flinched at every flash of cameras, which were crowding around him, barely allowing him and the guards to move forward. Frankenstein vaguely remembered that Tradio liked to use his own cane to push aside everyone who dared to stay in his way. What a shame, really, what a shame that his favourite toy seemed to be taken away.

“...together with Lagus Tradio they had organized the assassination of his own parents. While the details are unclear, there is information coming from anonymous sources claiming, that the car ,which caused the accident, had been steered by an hired hitman, whose identity is still unknown. It has been implied that he also wanted to murder his own brother, Cadis Etrama di Raizel, who currently is under house arrest. We remind you that his brother was found dead this year on the 27th of August in his own mansion, fallen from the 3rd floor, his death immediate. The investigation is still ongoing and Central Order has yet to find out if his passing was an accident or not. Meanwhile, our community have their own version and two main groups have been formed. One of them are certain that Cadis Etrama di Raizel is the real victim in this game of power, while the other is sure that the adolescent has taken the law in his own hands by killing his older brother. Being the last one of his family, he has earned the rights to his ancestors wealth and power, making him the most influential figure in Lukedonia’s politics. However, these are just the theories and only time will show...and now live from the Lord’s Castle my colleague Lim Taesik together with director of Central Order, Gejutel K.Landegre finding out the answers to the most pressing questions. Good morning,Taesik! I believe the situation at the Castle is pretty heated?  ”

The studio was replaced with a shot, just right outside the gates of the Castle, where right beside the infamous journalist Taesik and his bushy eyebrows stood one of the stiffest pricks in the country, Gejutel himself. Sun was reflecting off his monocle, which sat in his left eye. His salt and pepper hair was soaked with the pomade,keeping those rebellious strands of his in place.

“ _Heated_ would be an understatement. The members and supporters of the Opposition are boiling here, yet it seems that we are far away from the possibility of a violent riot. For now they have settled for a somewhat peaceful protest here, occasionally sorting their differences with the Position side, throwing out some strong words. Here with me is director of Central Order, Gejutel K. Landegre, who has agreed to give answers to some of our most pressing questions! Good morning, Mr. Landegre! ”

“Good morning.”

“I know that your time for us is limited here, so I will cut right to the chase - what is going to happen with Mr. Tradio?”

“Right now he is being taken into custody, where he will be interrogated.”

“What is the purpose of that? Isn’t it already obvious that Mr. Tradio is guilty of the crime?” _What. A. Stupid. Question._ It looked like even Gejutel was fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

“By doing so, we are going to find out if more people were involved.”

 

“Ah, I see! But after that? What will be their punishment?”

 

“Isn’t it already obvious that it would be a death?”

 

“O-Of course! ” Taesik stuttered, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, some of them stuck in his eyebrows, “Also, I would like to know what kind of progress is made with their sons’ case? For now, only the memories of Mr.Tradio had been available for the public to see, but as we know the investigation is going on for months. Why do we know so little about it?”

Gejutel swallowed, hard, his Adam’s apple moving. He cleared his throat.

 

“We have made a breakthrough there. Quite an amount of memories have been collected, however most of them add nothing to the case. Because of that, we haven’t published them all, but there are many.”

“How far are you exactly and why don’t we already know what happened that day? Why is this case taking so long, since you have the Device and can access memories immediately?”

            “...I...” Gejutel croaked. It was his time to sweat now. Landegre has no idea how Device or the interrogation process works, only familiar with the law and the leather chair in his office.

            “Is it because the suspect may be facing mental problems, like PTSD possibly?” _Ah, Taesik, what a smooth save!_ Gejutel visibly perked up, when the bone was thrown at the old dog.

            “Yes! Cadis Etrama di Raizel has had many traumatic life experiences as a child. Combining that and the stress he has been under, we found it difficult to access the right information. That’s why we have decided to have no rush and it has been proven to be worthwhile.” Gejutel finished, an unhidden pride in his voice.

            “Right,right...So we are still waiting for the grand finale? And what about the incident at the college? Stabbing, if I am correct?” Right.That. Frankenstein had forgotten about it. So had Gejutel…

            “Um...our best detective is working at it right now!” _Oh,stop it you!_ Frankenstein will never let Gejutel to live this down.

            “Patience is a virtue. I believe we have run out of time! Thank you for being with us, Mr. Landegre and we wish you success on this case! This was Lim Taesik,Channel 9, live from the Castle. We will keep you updated! Back to you!”

            The TV went dark. Frankenstein carelessly threw the remote on his bed, still looking at the screen, his own weary eyes staring right back at him. Even after the shower he felt dirty, new layer of sweat forming on his back, fever not relenting. He wiped his forehead with his palm, dragging it down, over his reddening nose and dry lips. He had only hour and a half.

 

****************************************************************************

“Are you alright?”

 

The question caught the blonde off guard. He blinked at Raizel, feeling his already burning cheeks getting warmer. The younger man watched him intensely, a worry in his eyes.

Frankenstein’s tongue was not cooperating with his brain as he struggled to answer. And what could he even say - his condition was not alright. Raizel shifted in his seat, disturbed by the silence, which came from otherwise so animated man. Suddenly, a pale hand reached out, the soft skin on its palm lightly pressing against Frankenstein’s forehead.

Detective did not see that coming either as he did not even flinch. Raizel’s hand felt...nice, the cold fingers bringing an immediate relief. Frankenstein might have closed his eyes for a little bit. Frankenstein might have leaned into the touch.

The hand left, only to tenderly cup one of his flushed cheeks. Frankenstein leisurely opened his eyes, Raizel’s attention still on him. The dark brows of his were furrowed, rosy lips pressed in a thin line. He looked...irritated.

“What’s wrong?”

“You are ill.”

“It’s just a cold, nothing crazy.” Frankenstein smiled, shamelessly lying. Raizel caught it, narrowing his eyes. The hand left Frankenstein’s face. Frankenstein might have trailed after it for a bit.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Frankenstein persisted, yet leaned back into his chair, no longer able to keep his back straight.

“I’ll worry.” What? Why? Frankenstein decided to say those questions out loud.

“Because someone has to, ” Raizel said matter-of-factly “since you are not doing that yourself.” Did? Did he just get chided by a someone younger than him? By someone, who now clearly is at the bottom of the hierarchy? And did Frankenstein feel guilty about neglecting his health? Yes.

“You already have enough worries, Raizel. But...thank you...” Frankenstein beamed and he could see that a corner of Raizel’s lips also was lifting a bit, but stopped midway as soon as Raizel saw blonde’s hands reaching to his bag to fetch his Device.

“There will be no session today.”

Frankenstein gawked at him, like the raven-haired man had just grown a second hand. What is up with him today? Raizel has never been this difficult!

“And why not, if I may ask?” Frankenstein asked, a playful politeness in his words. Raizel just looked at him, waiting for him to play the detective and find the answer himself. He did that, but this time it took him a while longer than usual.

“I’m fine. And I am confident of my abilities to do the session without problems. Now, let’s start this.”

“No.”

“Raizel.” Frankenstein said sternly.

“No.” Raizel repeated, hiding his hands under the desk.

“Raizel.” A little bit of a growl.

Man’s cheeks reddened, as he broke the eye contact, instead looking at his hands, squirming. This was very unusual of him to be this stubborn.

“Can we just...talk today?” Raizel softly asked, glancing at him hopefully.

“About what?”

“Anything...you want to know. I...I just-” Raizel drew a ragged breath, still not fully looking at Frankenstein “I am not ready to show you...that. Just not today. Next time. I promise.”

“To show me what? ” Silence. And then Frankenstein got it.

“Is...Are you ready, I mean, will you be ready to show me what happened between you and your brother?” A nod.

Huh. That means that their next time will be the last one. This went way faster than Frankenstein imagined it would. No. Of course, it went fast - it was Frankenstein working here, not one of those morons (and Tao) from Central Order. Of course, they have come to an end - Frankenstein knows what he is doing. Of course, he will be done, get released from his job and will be able to fuck off to a land more blessed. And ,of course, Frankenstein could not help, but feel a little bit blue. Maybe he had missed something? There has to be something, that had escaped his eyes! There must!

“Are you sure you don’t want me to see anything else before that?”

“...no. There is not anything important left. This is it.”

“And what about the college?”

Raizel froze for a little bit, trying to process the question. In his mind, he was back in the college, walking the corridors together with his fellow students, eagerly attending every lecture, even the 8.00 AM ones. Those were the best days he had had, after his parents died. But the joy was short.

“I don’t remember anything about that night. I was sleeping.”

“Alright. What happened early that day?”

“We went on the lectures and after that there was a party at our dormitory. Lots of alcohol.”

“Did you drink?”

“No, not really. I think I had a beer, but, ” Raizel grimaced “it was not suitable for my taste. I drank only juice. Muzaka, however, tried everything.”

“Your roommate?”

“Yes.He had too much and...”

“And he got a little bit agitated?”

“He said some stuff about my brother. Muzaka was not very fond of his ideas, to say at least.”

“And then?”

“I left.I went to my room...” Raizel sighed “I just...did not want to hear anything about my brother. I wanted to forget...about him, even if it was for a one night.”

“And then Muzaka was stabbed in his back. Seven times.”

“I did not do that. I don’t remember it.”

Raizel assuden looked Frankenstein right into the eyes, his own open wide, like a deer staring at the headlights.

“But maybe I did...Did I?”

“I really don’t know, Raizel, really, I don’t.” Frankenstein whispered sympathetically.


End file.
